Community Alert

One of our residents came up with a good Neighbourhood Watch idea that doesn't use Social Media and avoids its pitfalls and trappings.

Johnstown Community Alerts is a Web App for use in Neighbourhood Watch and we asked its developer, Peter Heylin, to tell us more.

The Neighbourhood Watch and Community Alert Schemes operated by An Garda Siochana are schemes to be promoted and the establishment and adoption of these schemes by estates and communities is to be encouraged.

This week a tool is being launched which is currently exclusive to Johnstown in County Meath and it is hoped will support estates that operate the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme. The scheme could also indeed be used by estates who have not yet established or adopted the official Neighbourhood Watch Scheme.

This online tool encourages residents who witness criminal or anti-social behaviour to record the incident on a camera, smartphone, CCTV camera, or dashboard camera prior to reporting the incident to An Garda Siochana. The idea for this online tool comes about because when an incident is reported to An Garda Siochana, the person making the report will be asked if there was any CCTV footage, the absence of which can make it difficult for An Garda Siochana to make an arrest. When An Garda Siochana respond to an incident in progress, additional information from witnesses and footage recorded by CCTV and dashboard cameras is often also required. When An Garda Siochana receive footage from CCTV and dashboard cameras, they often appeal to the general public for help in identifying the suspect contained in the footage. These appeals are often done when further information is required or on monthly basis through the Crimecall programme.

In addition to allowing residents to post photographs and videos of criminal and anti-social behaviour, this online tool will allow residents to view footage uploaded and if they have information with regard to the suspect, they can then contact An Garda Siochana.

A major benefit to this online tool is that residents might feel encouraged to take a proactive approach to supplying important information to An Garda Siochana with regard to incidents of anti-social behaviour and criminal activity that takes place within the community. It is hoped that if the chances of identifying the person(s) responsible are increased then it will make the committing of these offences less attractive and inevitably reduce crime and anti-social behaviour within the community.

Residents utilising the online alert tool are encouraged to bring information to the attention of An Garda Siochana instead of posting details to social media.

The new online Johnstown Community alert tool can be found here: https://alert.johnstowncommunity.com/