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File photo. Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

Gardaí launching a 'high visibility, nationwide policing plan' this weekend to support health guidelines

The plan will be focused on support for the vulnerable and crime prevention, gardaí said.

AN GARDA SÍOCHÁNA has said it has launched a policing plan taking effect from 7am this morning to midnight on Sunday to support public health guidelines. 

The “high visibility, nationwide policing plan” will be focused on support for the vulnerable and crime prevention, gardaí said in a statement this morning.

The plan is set to support the work done under Operation Fanacht – which sees checkpoints set up on key routes to ensure people aren’t breaking the guidelines – and Operation Navigation – which ensures pubs which are open are adhering to the guidelines. 

This morning, Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal have been placed under Level 4 of restrictions. And, across the entire country, no visitors are permitted to households.

Everyone is advised to work from home if possible and only leave their county for essential reasons.

Last night, public health officials painted a bleak picture of the path of the disease in Ireland at the moment. A record 1,205 cases were recorded along with three further deaths. 

The gardaí said today its plans to support the public health guidance will have three key strands – community engagement, crime prevention patrols and checkpoints focusing on crime detection.

In a statement, it said community gardaí will work with individuals, community groups, statutory agencies, charities and local businesses to provide a range of services to assist the most vulnerable.

Deputy commissioner of policing and security John Twomey said: “Since the start of the pandemic, garda members throughout the country have being helping the vulnerable and those who feel isolated.

“This involved simple, but important tasks such as collecting their prescription, delivering their pension, or even socially distanced contact. If people need such assistance or know someone who does, please contact your local garda station. We are here to help.”

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    Mute ed o brien
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    Oct 16th 2020, 7:46 AM

    Late for work again so!
    Great work lads!

    236
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    Mute Aidan Conway
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    Oct 16th 2020, 8:39 AM

    @ed o brien: have you seen all the “road block” attrnded but e eryone waved tgriugh….
    One in cratloe cones etc just after a junction
    No one on duty last night!?
    Curiois?

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    Mute Bikes rule the world
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    Oct 16th 2020, 12:33 PM

    @ed o brien: work from home or leave earlier, these road blocks have been well publicised

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    Mute Hector Son
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    Oct 16th 2020, 7:57 AM

    If people just copped on there would be no need for this.

    156
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    Mute Anne Marie Devlin
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    Oct 16th 2020, 8:31 AM

    @Hector Son: how do you know people aren’t copping on? The huge tailbacks caused last week by checkpoints resulted in almost no one being turned back. The evidence would strongly point to the fact that people aren’t travelling for the craic.

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    Mute Jack Inman
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    Oct 16th 2020, 8:35 AM

    @Anne Marie Devlin: you obviously didn’t see Dun Laoghaire on Sunday

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    Mute Anne Marie Devlin
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    Oct 16th 2020, 8:50 AM

    @Jack Inman: you can travel within your county for any reason.

    61
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    Mute James Gannon
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    Oct 16th 2020, 8:52 AM

    @Anne Marie Devlin: you can’t turn back on a motorway. Also there is no law to turn people back so it was like having a dog but only allowing it to bark, the muzzle was tight so no bite.

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    Mute ChadChaderson
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    Oct 16th 2020, 8:55 AM

    @Hector Son: I’m guessing the virus will stir clear of you because you have cop on .

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    Mute Seaniecp
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    Oct 16th 2020, 9:34 AM

    @Anne Marie Devlin: not really. As you dont know if that is because the people who would of been ‘travelling for the craic’ didnt travel for the craic because of the checkpoint and all that was left was workers etc. Also no power to turn anyone around anyway.
    They are not ideal but they are something. I know a load of people cancelling plans that would break restrictions because of the fear of these checkpoints.
    Let’s just face it. It doesnt matter what the restriction or plan is. Theres a certain cohort of people who will just bloody moan about it and try pick holes in it.

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    Mute Hector Son
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    Oct 16th 2020, 9:46 AM

    @ChadChaderson: Not quite, but by adhering to the expert advice as best I can, I will reduce the risk.

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    Mute Bikes rule the world
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    Oct 16th 2020, 12:34 PM

    @Anne Marie Devlin: no one should travel unless they have to, how many of those journeys were essential?

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    Mute Pheilum Shannon
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    Oct 16th 2020, 8:28 AM

    I was driving over the county border between Cork & Waterford yesterday, near Youghal Bridge, and there were Gardai there when I was going both directions (for essential purposes). All they did was wave the traffic on, stopping no one. Serious waste of time & resources, in my opinion.

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    Mute Seaniecp
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    Oct 16th 2020, 9:37 AM

    @Pheilum Shannon: nothing they can do anyway really without powers. There a large amount of people who are to afraid to meet one of these checkpoints. So it’s a deterrent at least. Publicising that they are grand like your comment has the opposite effect.

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    Mute Woman On the Up
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    Oct 16th 2020, 7:55 AM

    Fair dues to the Gardai – we need this to try and get things under control – don’t envy them having to do this.

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    Mute David Garland
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    Oct 16th 2020, 9:16 AM

    @Woman On the Up: You think checkpoints are getting things under control? Maybe sort out the actual testing first before ruining peoples lives and livelihoods. The media have everybody finger pointing and have society turned on each other over these positive cases that are not what they seem. A good 50-70% may not be infectious at all yet our lives are been ruined by them. Not once in a press conference or news bulletin have I heard anyone say that the pcr test picks up RNA of Covid 19 in somebody on day 78 yet you’re on contagious up to day 7. Why are NPHET not telling people this. I put this exact comment on another story on the journal the other day and they deleted it. Oxford University who are coming up with a vaccine and studied people with Covid 19 and their the ones saying the PCR test is highly flawed and should not be used in its current form

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    Mute Anne Cooke
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    Oct 16th 2020, 8:48 AM

    Maybe Garda could call to the after match parties and pubs flaunting the guide lines? These are the root causes of many of the outbreaks and no lockdown will stop these. Well run pubs and restaurants could be open now if the parties were stopped. Better use of police resources stopping unsafe gathering of people than delaying working people enroute to work.

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    Mute Paul
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    Oct 16th 2020, 9:29 AM

    @Anne Cooke: couple hundred pubs found flaunting the rules and thirty five house parties in Limerick broken up a couple weeks ago. I think they may have the same ideas.

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    Mute Sam Greene
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    Oct 16th 2020, 10:44 AM

    @Paul: and you have evidence of this of course?

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    Mute Jumanji
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    Oct 16th 2020, 2:29 PM

    @Anne Cooke: I don’t think they are getting the invite and I don’t think they are psychic

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    Mute Fred the Muss...
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    Oct 16th 2020, 8:21 AM

    I know they don’t want to be doing this, but just standing there and waving traffic through is not a good use of anyone’s time. And they seem to be in the same places all the time.

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    Mute Ed
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    Oct 16th 2020, 9:29 AM

    Great work by our hard working Gardaí. This morning as I slowed down for a checkpoint I was greeted by a Garda with his head looking down at his phone waving everyone through. What an absolute waste of time.

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    Mute Sean Fallon
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    Oct 16th 2020, 9:36 AM

    Easy Over time for the lads…checkpoints serve no other reason..

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    Mute james s
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    Oct 16th 2020, 10:01 AM

    It’s funny the three counties that have gone into level 4 have a border with the north because they are in Ulster but nobody has a problem with louth that also has a border with the north but it’s in Leinster so it’s obviously safe. Maybe it’s all based on rugby

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    Mute Derek Anderson
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    Oct 16th 2020, 10:37 AM

    Absolutely pointless waste of time and resources. Just to advise people. No powers and can’t do anything if someone does not take the advice.

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    Mute Pat Redmond
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    Oct 16th 2020, 9:42 AM

    Gardai need to stop restaurants from putting chairs too close together. We need need to be surrounded by safe space not other people breathing on top of us.

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    Mute Sam Greene
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    Oct 16th 2020, 10:46 AM

    @Pat Redmond: no, the restaurants need to be responsible for that, or maybe as a customer u can complain??
    I dont think the guards have tape measures in their pockets.

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    Mute Janine Dolan
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    Oct 16th 2020, 10:00 AM

    We always hear ” so people arent breaking the guidelines” or “people need to stop spreading the virus”. Can we have more information than that because it is repeated over and over again in every single article. Who are these people? We all know the one on protest are the ones breaking the rule and catch the virus but what about the “normal” people? Can we get some statistics WHAT people have actually caught the virus… To me it seems like it is very hard to catch this virus. I am not a person hiding in my house. I am out and about all the time.

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    Mute Berkieahern3
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    Oct 16th 2020, 11:26 AM

    I’m after buying a pair of painters overalls and a spanner, I’m going on a tour of the country!

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    Mute Sportmad
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    Oct 16th 2020, 4:27 PM

    They just stand there or sit in cars

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    Mute leartius
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    Oct 16th 2020, 1:04 PM

    Gardaí are people too.
    Once your tax, insurance and nct are valid then its normally a wave through. Hanging a blue shirt or nurses uniform on your back seat also seems to reduce questions.
    its like the old saying goes. when presented with lemons, either your suck the bitterness or you make lemonade.

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    Mute Tom Goss
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    Oct 17th 2020, 7:14 AM

    Exactly what type of crimes do they think they are going to prevennt by having a few Guards standing at highly visible roadblocks here and there…?

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    Mute John Kavanagh
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    Oct 16th 2020, 9:03 AM

    Operation overtime to commence forthwith

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