A SPECIFIED District Policing Plan to be put in place during the summer months in the Tralee District it was revealed at the online meeting of the Joint Policing Committee on Friday.
Tralee MD Cllr Mikey Sheehy asked would additional Garda resources be made available in the district in the likely event of a summer of staycations in Kerry.
He said an influx of domestic tourists into our county will be highly likely and it is essential that our local Garda stations receive additional support and man-power.
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In response, Tralee District Superintendent Fearghal Pattwell said there was a huge demand for additional resources across the country and with the limited number of additional Garda members available, it is not anticipated that they will receive a significant volume of additional Gardai.
He said each Superintendent in the Kerry Division will implement bespoke policing plans during the busy summer months and the allocation of current resources will be extremely important.
Supt Pattwell said there will be an emphasis on high-visibility patrolling in the summer months in busy tourist areas such as Dingle, Castlegregory and Ardfert as well as greater nighttime patrols in the Tralee area.
Kerry Green Party Chairman, Anluan Dunne, asked that as a result of the anticipated influx of tourists, there is concern at the impact this increase will have on communities, wildlife and habitats and could An Garda Síochána commit to providing additional daytime Gardaí to locations such as Maharees to tackle illegal “wild” parking through education and enforcement?
He also asked could Gardaí commit to providing additional night time support to rural villages with high visitor numbers at the weekends to tackle anti-social behaviour, wild camping and damaging actions such as dune fires.
Supt Pattwell said an Inspector has been appointed to oversee Policing Operations in the Dingle Peninsula over the summer period and that An Garda Síochána would enforce available legislation where deemed appropriate and proportionate.
He said there is a responsibility on individuals to act responsibly and An Garda Síochána would urge people do so when visiting outdoor amenities.
He encouraged members of the public to report any instances of antisocial behaviour or any safety concerns regarding parking or the use of vehicles.
Mr Dunne also asked Kerry County Council to commit to providing additional wardens to assist with visitor management and parking enforcement during weekends with fine weather.
Charlie O’Sullivan of Kerry County Council said the Council has a protocol in place with An Garda Síochána, to provide an appropriate level of enforcement at local amenities and having regard to the seasonal usage of these facilities.