Representatives of Drogheda Implementation Board, An Garda Síochána, Louth County Council, Love Drogheda BIDs, and Drogheda & District Chamber of Commerce came together this week to highlight the See Something Say Something initiative and to invite members of the public to report anti-social behaviour through this service.
See Something Say Something was launched last September and is a free, confidential text alert service which allows residents and visitors to Drogheda to instantly report incidents to Gardaí by texting the number50555.
Superintendent Andrew Watters of the South Louth Garda Community Engagement functional area said:
“See Something Say Something is a simple system that allows people to report anti-social behaviour that is having an impact on themselves or their locality confidentially to us.
While this system does not and should not replace dialling 999 or 112 in the event of an emergency or urgent response it is a tool to allow us to hear directly from the community and help ensure Drogheda is a safe place for people to live, work and visit.
We have already seen positive impact from members of the public texting this confidential service and wish to further highlight free text 50555 so that a broader range of the community are aware of and use the system.”
"See Something Say Something" is one of a suite of community engagement initiatives that are being delivered in Drogheda. While it is directly managed by An Garda Siochána all of the agencies have come together to show their support for the initiative and to encourage the public to use the service to report anti-social behaviour and other non-urgent issues directly to the Gardaí in Drogheda.
Michael Keogh, Chair of Drogheda Implementation Board, said
“Community safety is everyone’s responsibility – our colleagues in An Garda Síochána can only act on information they receive. That is why we are actively encouraging members of the community, local retailers, the business community, and visitors to our town to report issues – that do not require an emergency response – to 50555.
Remember, you must text DROGHEDA first and then should give clear details in the text –such as specific location and the nature of the issue. An Garda Siochána will review the details shared and take an appropriate response based on this.”
A number of new promotional materials have been produced to further raise awareness of the initiative, including business cards with the free text number which can be put into in a wallet or mobile phone case for ease of access, and vinyl stickers that can be placed in the windows of retail or other premises. These materials are available from Love Drogheda Business Improvement District office on Meatmarket Lane; Drogheda & District Chamber and Drogheda Implementation Board.
Repeating the call for members of the public to use See Something Say Something Superintendent Watters said:
“We are asking people in Drogheda when they see something, to say something, by texting DROGHEDA and the incident details to 50555. Don’t assume someone else will report it, take out your phone, describe what you have seen and text the details, for free, to 50555, we want to hear from you.”
For More
Gráinne Berrill
Drogheda Implementation Board Coordinator
Tel: 0861083903
Email:gberrill@lmetb.ie
*Originally developed in County Kerry and advocated for by the Love Drogheda Business Improvement District, the See Something Say Something system was listed as an action in the Drogheda Report Implementation Plan and contributes to a number of other community safety initiatives such as the Purple Flag.
Further information on the Drogheda Report, Implementation Plan, Implementation Board and action delivery can be found at www.droghedaimplementationboard.ie*
