Increased patrolling is taking place in Tralee following the killing of 23-year-old Ashling Murphy in County Offaly earlier this month, Tralee Garda District Superintendent Fearghal Pattwell has confirmed.
he fatal attack on Ms Murphy while she was out running on the afternoon of January 12 in Tullamore was discussed frequently at last Friday’s online Kerry Joint Policing Committee meeting. Her death has sparked considerable debate about what can be done to tackle violence against women.
Superintendent Pattwell told the meeting that additional patrols are now taking place at strategic locations in the town, including from between 2pm and 9pm at the canal walkway. Locations such as the town park and Millennium Walk have also been included in this increased Garda patrolling, and the Superintendent said Gardaí vow to maintain these patrols as well as possible over the coming year.
Fianna Fáil Councillor John Francis Flynn welcomed this news, but he has asked for similar measures at popular walking areas in Killorglin, particularly in the early hours of darkness.
Party colleague Cllr Niall Kelleher, who chaired the meeting, sought an outline of what patrolling is taking place in Killarney, while Fianna Fáil Councillor Michael Cahill said that while installation of CCTV is constrained by cost and GDPR issues, he feels there is a major need for increased CCTV in towns and villages around Kerry, and he also suggested cameras be placed at strategic locations on roads entering and exiting the county.
Fine Gael Councillor Jim Finucane, however, said that society will also have to step up to the mark, regardless of what preventative measures are put in place, with people taking responsibility for their actions.
This point received backing from Fianna Fáil Councillor Mikey Sheehy, who said society will have to make unacceptable what may have been considered acceptable previously.
His party colleague, Cllr Norma Moriarty, agreed that tackling such violence was not solely a law-and-order matter. She said people should be educated on doing the right thing, and made to feel empowered to call out behaviour that’s wrong and makes people feel uncomfortable. She suggested that the JPC do what it can to foster and highlight positive role models.
Notes from a recent Community Crime Prevention and Response sub-committee meeting were also furnished to Friday's JPC meeting, and consideration is being given to co-opting members from organisations supporting women who’ve been victims of crime.
