Details of Cairde security App outlined at meeting

Details of the new Muintir na Tire Cairde App which is being rolled out to complement the current Text Alert system were provided at a meeting in Kilcullen last evening, writes Brian Byrne.

The event, hosted by the Kilcullen Garda District Text Alert Committee in the GAA clubhouse, was also attended by Kilcullen Gardai who provided seasonally-themed advice on keeping homes and property secure from thieves.

Chairperson of the Text Alert committee Aaron Cotter told those present that the Cairde App has been tested in pilot initiatives over a number of years and is now being rolled out nationwide.

For Kildare it is being sponsored by Kildare County Council in association with An Garda, and there will be no cost to individuals or communities to use it.

Developed as a form of neighbourhood social network, the app offers customisable participation options, including private space to list details and photographs of personal valuables so that in the event of theft these can be forwarded to the Gardai to help with their return if recovered.

Users of Cairde can also specify which kinds of alerts they wish to receive, which can range from reports of anti-social or suspicious behaviour through warnings about straying livestock or missing pets and persons. The user can also choose whether or not to receive Garda or Council messages, and notifications from their own local groups such as Tidy Towns.

Aaron Cotter emphasised that Cairde will not replace existing Text Alert systems. "It's an enhancement, through which Text Alert messages can be sent to people with smartphones, but they will also be sent in the normal way to older phones."

He added that all 600 or so contacts on the current Kilcullen system will be migrated onto the Cairde platform, but GDPR protocols will be fully adhered to. "This will take time to build," he concluded. "But the more people who sign up to use it, the better it will be."

Further information meetings about Cairde are planned by the committee for the Kilcullen area.

(We'll post on the home security advice separately.)

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Property marking at Kilcullen Mart tomorrow

Gardai are offering property marking at Leinster Marts Kilcullen tomorrow, as part of National Community Engagement Week.

The initiative will run from 10am-6pm and everybody is welcome to bring their valuable items along for marking, which makes them easier to restore to owners if they are stolen.

Over the course of the week hundreds of communities will have the opportunity to meet with their local Gardaí and community representatives to discuss matters of importance to them such as rural safety, crime prevention and security.

Find out about events locally here. 

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Who's at the door?

Image by Kindel Media via Pexels.

The Kilcullen Area Community Text Alert has issued this list of precautions to consider if you have callers to your door:

• Are you expecting callers? If not look out the window to see the caller(s), make a note of theirs or their vehicles description. 

• Have you a viewer fitted in your door? You are safer behind a closed door.

• Have you a door chain / limiter fitted and the chain/ limiter on? If you must open the door, use the limiter. Consider installing a video doorbell which links to your mobile phone, that way you don’t have to open the door to speak to the caller.

• If you are going to open your door to callers, ensure your back door is locked before you do.

• If you are going to engage, ask for ID – a genuine caller won’t mind.

• Don’t be embarrassed to tell the caller to write their contact details down for you so you can make an appointment with them when you are comfortable and have decided to do so. 

• Use recommended trades people, avoid using the services of cold callers.

• The basic rule is if you don’t know the person at your door, you shouldn’t let them in.

• If you are anxious, contact your local Garda Station.

Be vigilant and keep an eye on your elderly and vulnerable neighbours. Please remind those who may not be on social media of this security check list.

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Seniors Alert Scheme now available in Kilcullen area

The Seniors Alert Scheme operated by the government through Pobal is now available to older or vulnerable people in Kilcullen through the Community Text Alert Scheme, writes Brian Byrne.

The system provides a free monitored alarm unit either as a pendant or a wrist-worn device, which can be used to call for help in any kind of emergency.

The devices are free, and the first year of monitoring is also free if there is a suitable landline in the user's home. A €61.50 annual fee for the SIM rental applies if the system has to use a mobile link. A €65.01 annual fee applies for monitoring from the second year onwards.

Eligibility for the alarm is for those over 65 years and of limited means or resources. Those living alone, or living with another person who meets the criteria, are also eligible, as also are those living alone for significant periods during the day, or who are carers to someone else in the household.

In the Kilcullen area, Gda Jon Brien and the Kilcullen Community Text Alert group will arrange alarms for those who need them. The Kilcullen Garda work mobile 085 8702148 is being used as the contact for the scheme. "If it is not answered, there is a messaging facility, and we'll get back to the caller very quickly," Gda Jon Brien says.

Pictured are Alan O'Grady of Kilcullen Text Alert, Sgt Tom O'Donoghue, Gda Jon Brien, and Sabina Reddy of Kilcullen Text Alert. 

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Community Centre is security HQ for royals visit

The Kilcullen Community Centre is closed to the public today as part of the security arrangements for the visit of Prince Charles and his wife Camilla to the area, writes Brian Byrne.

The Centre is the local headquarters since yesterday of the Garda operation, with an expected 200 gardai involved.

The Prince will be shown around the United Nations Training School on the Curragh in the afternoon, while his wife visits the National Stud.

Earlier this morning, the royal couple are visiting Kilkenny, following last night's private dinner with President O'Higgins and his wife Sabina at Áras an Uachtaráin. They are to meet the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, this evening.

Six years ago, during the visit of the prince's mother, Queen Elizabeth, Kilcullen was locked down for most of a day while she visited Gilltown Stud, where she has horses.

The Community Centre will reopen to the public this evening.

'Make house alarm holiday arrangements' homeowners urged

Residents of Castlemartin Lodge estates have appealed for homeowners to make provision for dealing with house alarms while on holiday, writes Brian Byrne.

On the Facebook page of the area, the residents note that it's the middle of the holiday season and alarms are on in order to protect properties while owners are away.

Owners are asked to leave a key with a neighbour, or a phone number of someone who has a key, in the event of an alarm going off while they are away.

Obviously, this is good advice for homeowners right across the community.

Community Alert progresses

There was a very good turnout of some 30 people at Brennans Pub on Wednesday night, to discuss the possibility of setting up a text-based Community Alert scheme, writes Brian Byrne.

"There were also plenty of apologies from people who couldn't come," says Cllr Ivan Keatley, "but they were also all in favour of the scheme."

A steering committee has been formed, and another meeting in a month's time will provide full information on the scheme.

It's envisaged that the scheme will operate within the Kilcullen policing area, and Garda Steve Kineavy attended the meeting on Wednesday to encourage everyone to get involved in the idea.

More Garda opening times needed

Half of Kilcullen residents don't think the current level of service from Kilcullen Garda Station meets their expectations, writes Brian Byrne. But four in ten do, according to the recently completed Kilcullen Community Survey.

The primary criticism was that the opening times are insufficient, with residents having to go to Naas or Newbridge to contact a Garda.

The response level to the related questions in the Survey for this service were numerically the highest in the section on Satisfaction with Local Services.

Almost 43 percent of respondents said the service meets their expectations, with 5.2 percent saying it exceeds their requirements.

Comments included appreciation for the prompt response of local Garda to break-in reports, while among the suggestions was a wish that there was more Garda patrolling around town after dark.

The Community Survey, commissioned by Kilcullen Community Action, will be officially launched and discussed at a public meeting in the Town Hall next Tuesday, 31 January, from 8pm. KCA has appealed for a full attendance, and the results of the Survey could provide the chance for a strong local influence on how the town develops.


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Sealing up for the Queen's drive

There's a lot happening in town this morning in security preparations for the Queen's drive-through of Kilcullen next Thursday, writes Brian Byrne.

Gardai have been checking into all manholes and service access on the routes which she will take, and members of the Defence Force have been welding them shut once cleared.

The sewers have also been checked for anything untoward, but all that has been found so far are rats. "Lots of them, and big ones too," one of the people involved told the Diary.

Council workers are also busy: the traffic calming pedestrian crossing in front of Steve's Daybreak store has already been lifted, and those in front of Scoil Bhride are also in the process of being removed.

All will be restored on Friday next, we're told.

Ramp checked in security preparations

There was a short holdup yesterday at the northbound on-ramp on the Kilcullen junction of the M9, while members of the Defence Forces checked it as part of the security preparations for the Queen's visit.

Lockdown in Kilcullen for Queen's visit

Part of Kilcullen will be put under security lockdown for much of Thursday 19 May when Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain visits Kildare, writes Brian Byrne.

The crossroads area will be closed off to all traffic from 9.30am on the day until after 4.30pm, the period during which the Queen will travel from the National Stud to Gilltown, and from there back to Dublin via the motorway.

Up to 50 gardai will be on duty in the town, a number of whom will be armed. Business people and other members of the community were told last night of the security arrangements by Superintendent Pat Mangan and Inspector Paul Dolan, at a meeting in Fallons.

No parking will be allowed on the Curragh or Church roads in the village, and no vehicular traffic will be allowed through Kilcullen in any direction during the security period.

In addition, no parking will be allowed from the crossroads to the bridge, and from the crossroads to the motorway. Gardai will be 'taking possession' of the roads as cars leave their spaces from 6pm on the Wednesday evening.

Traders have been asked to change scheduled deliveries to either the previous or following day, or at the very least until after 4.30pm on the day.

Barriers will be erected along the roads and the crossroads itself, and Superintendent Mangan said people will be very welcome to watch from behind them.

"We will also use common sense to facilitate local people going about their business," he said, "but once the Queen moves, we will be firm on security issues."

It is understood that gardai will also be in the business and residential buildings that line the Queen's route through Kilcullen.

We'll report further details as they become clear. A special telephone number will be set up in the next few days at Naas Garda Station to answer any local enquiries.