Press release
Minister of State James Browne visits Enniscorthy Mart for National Community Engagement Week 2023
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Published on
Last updated on
Minister of State at the Department of Justice James Browne visited Enniscorthy Mart today as part of National Community Engagement Week 2023. National Community Engagement Week is a weeks-long series of events taking place in communities all across Ireland, giving people a chance to get to know their local Gardaí and other representatives in their areas.
Minister Browne attended the event in Enniscorthy Mart this morning, alongside members of An Garda Síochána, including Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman and local Gardaí from Enniscorthy Garda Station. Garda members organised a stand with flyers and brochures and were on hand to meet with local farmers at the Mart in order to promote awareness of crime prevention tips and to listen to the concerns of local people in Enniscorthy.
Minister Browne was delighted to meet with Gardaí and farmers at the Mart and was particularly keen to hear the concerns that local people in Enniscorthy have around community safety and crime prevention.
Following the event, Minister Browne said:
“The importance of National Community Engagement Week is underlined by events like today’s awareness session in Enniscorthy Mart. It gives people from in and around the town the opportunity to meet with their local Gardaí and discuss the issues that matter most to them. It is also of great help to An Garda Síochána as it will help inform the already fantastic work they do in Enniscorthy and around the county.
"We have met with a range of locals here today, but predominantly farmers who can have concerns around rural safety issues such as burglary and theft of machinery and property. The guidance that Gardaí have given today around effective preventative action that farmers and people living in rural communities can take to ensure the security of their property should help people to feel safer and more secure in their homes, farms and businesses.”
National Community Engagement Week is organised by the National Rural Safety Forum, which is a national collaborative partnership between State agencies and other organisations with a common vision of ensuring people and communities in rural Ireland feel safe and are safe in their homes, places of work, and their local environments.
Each day of National Community Engagement Week is themed, covering different angles of rural living including:
Minister Browne continued:
“There will be many more events hosted in Wexford and the rest of the country over the next few days and I would encourage anyone, who has the chance to, to attend an event near them. If you have any questions or concerns regarding crime prevention or community safety in your area, this really is the best forum to learn more about the services available to you.
"You can find a full list of the events happening this week with a full country breakdown on garda.ie."
For a full list of all events happening nationwide, please go to the Garda website.
The objectives of Community Engagement Week are as follows:
This year’s overarching theme is about promoting the collaborations of the various community safety stakeholders and included priorities, as outlined in the Rural Safety Plan 2022-24.