Joint Policing Committees Ask Junior Cert. Results Classes to Celebrate Safely

Monaghan County Joint Policing Committee, with the co-operation of the county’s secondary schools and in association with the five Town JPC’s, today launched their ‘Don’t Pour Your Dreams Away’ initiative. The initiative is a follow-up from last year’s highly successful Comhairle na nÓg campaign, which ran in Monaghan town during the lead up to, and week of, the Junior Cert results being released.

The aim of the campaign is to make young people aware of the dangers of binge drinking, and of the consequences that they will face for their actions as they now approach the age of legal responsibility. The county JPC’s spring meeting heard from Chief Superintendant Colm Rooney that last year’s campaign resulted in a massive drop of incidents – from forty to just four.  This inspired the six JPC’s to come together to roll out a similar campaign for the 2011 results.

In the days leading up to the release of the Junior Cert results, the JPC’s will be visiting the county’s secondary schools to speak to the students who will be receiving their results.  The presentation will involve an awareness element which will provide facts on alcohol and its effects on teenagers. The Gardai will also be present, and will provide information on the powers a Garda has to deal with young people who are drinking, which include to confiscate alcohol from minors and to bring underage drinkers to the Garda station to await collection by parents should they feel a young person is under the influence and unable to look after themselves.

‘Keeping our young people safe from harm is a very difficult task in current times, with so many pressures on them,’ says David Maxwell, Chair of Monaghan County Joint Policing Committee.  ‘Many young people are drinking to give themselves confidence, or to cope with pressure, and it is often well down the road before they realise alcohol has become a problem for them. If our initiative helps to prevent just one young person from experiencing the misery that misuse of alcohol can bring, then it will have been more than worthwhile.’

‘We would like to thank Comhairle na nÓg for permitting us to use the artwork from their last year’s campaign,’ said Paul Clifford, manager of the JPC’s on behalf of Monaghan County Council. ‘The statistic featured on the poster – that alcohol is a factor in 41% of all cases of deliberate self-harm among teenagers – is a compelling reminder of why initiatives like this are so important. We are delighted that all twelve secondary schools in the county will be displaying the banner prominently on their grounds in the lead-up to the Junior Cert results. This in itself will send a very positive message to both young people and their parents – that safeguarding our young people is an issue; that it should be discussed, and that everyone has a part to play in supporting those young people who for whatever reason find themselves in crisis.’

The Joint Policing Committees were set up in each town and county two years ago as a vehicle for Gardai, local authorities and communities to share information, discuss issues and work together to solve problems facing their areas. The JPC’s meet about 4 times a year. Meetings are open to the public, and members of the public are encouraged to submit questions for consideration by the JPC’s.   From the beginning, the JPC’s have worked hard to avoid being ‘talking shops’ and have sought out practical projects that can demonstrate a real benefit to local people. Last year, Ballybay JPC approached the publicans in the town, asking them to avoid hosting 18th birthday celebrations in an effort to discourage young people from making alcohol the centre of their celebrations.  In Clones, feedback from the local community on anti social behaviour associated with a particular night in the town led to the Gardai changing its resource deployment in the town on the night in question, leading to a marked drop in incidents. Another Clones initiative brought the Gardai and the PSNI together to collaborate on putting a stop to a stretch of road outside Clones town being used as a venue for anti social driving practices.

Monaghan County Joint Policing Committee, with the co-operation of the county’s secondary schools and in association with the five Town JPC’s, today launched their ‘Don’t Pour Your Dreams Away’ initiative. The initiative is a follow-up from last year’s highly successful Comhairle na nÓg campaign, which ran in Monaghan town during the lead up to, and week of, the Junior Cert results being released.

The aim of the campaign is to make young people aware of the dangers of binge drinking, and of the consequences that they will face for their actions as they now approach the age of legal responsibility. The county JPC’s spring meeting heard from Chief Superintendant Colm Rooney that last year’s campaign resulted in a massive drop of incidents – from forty to just four.  This inspired the six JPC’s to come together to roll out a similar campaign for the 2011 results.

In the days leading up to the release of the Junior Cert results, the JPC’s will be visiting the county’s secondary schools to speak to the students who will be receiving their results.  The presentation will involve an awareness element which will provide facts on alcohol and its effects on teenagers. The Gardai will also be present, and will provide information on the powers a Garda has to deal with young people who are drinking, which include to confiscate alcohol from minors and to bring underage drinkers to the Garda station to await collection by parents should they feel a young person is under the influence and unable to look after themselves.

‘Keeping our young people safe from harm is a very difficult task in current times, with so many pressures on them,’ says David Maxwell, Chair of Monaghan County Joint Policing Committee.  ‘Many young people are drinking to give themselves confidence, or to cope with pressure, and it is often well down the road before they realise alcohol has become a problem for them. If our initiative helps to prevent just one young person from experiencing the misery that misuse of alcohol can bring, then it will have been more than worthwhile.’

‘We would like to thank Comhairle na nÓg for permitting us to use the artwork from their last year’s campaign,’ said Paul Clifford, manager of the JPC’s on behalf of Monaghan County Council. ‘The statistic featured on the poster – that alcohol is a factor in 41% of all cases of deliberate self-harm among teenagers – is a compelling reminder of why initiatives like this are so important. We are delighted that all twelve secondary schools in the county will be displaying the banner prominently on their grounds in the lead-up to the Junior Cert results. This in itself will send a very positive message to both young people and their parents – that safeguarding our young people is an issue; that it should be discussed, and that everyone has a part to play in supporting those young people who for whatever reason find themselves in crisis.’

The Joint Policing Committees were set up in each town and county two years ago as a vehicle for Gardai, local authorities and communities to share information, discuss issues and work together to solve problems facing their areas. The JPC’s meet about 4 times a year. Meetings are open to the public, and members of the public are encouraged to submit questions for consideration by the JPC’s.   From the beginning, the JPC’s have worked hard to avoid being ‘talking shops’ and have sought out practical projects that can demonstrate a real benefit to local people. Last year, Ballybay JPC approached the publicans in the town, asking them to avoid hosting 18th birthday celebrations in an effort to discourage young people from making alcohol the centre of their celebrations.  In Clones, feedback from the local community on anti social behaviour associated with a particular night in the town led to the Gardai changing its resource deployment in the town on the night in question, leading to a marked drop in incidents. Another Clones initiative brought the Gardai and the PSNI together to collaborate on putting a stop to a stretch of road outside Clones town being used as a venue for anti social driving practices.