Antisocial behaviour a key priority

Kells's new Garda Superintendant, Jim McGowan, who took over the role last week, is looking forward to engaging with the local community, including voluntary groups and statutory bodies. He says he is a firm believer in community policing and is looking forward to meeting the people of the area and working in the community with them. "I will be working with the community to achieve a common goal," he said. Supt McGowan, who is a native of Kildare town, has been a garda for over 30 years and, until recently, was a detective-inspector in Ballymun and Raheny, Dublin, where he was involved in crime investigation, including serious and organised crime. Prior to that, he was an inspector in the Bridewell. He worked as a sergeant in Garda Headquarters, where he gained extensive experience in administration. He also worked in the old Serious Crime Squad and has experience in the drugs area as well as holding a Bachelors and Masters Degree from the Institute of Public Administration. Supt McGowan said he was looking forward to working in Kells, where he has a much broader role. While in recent years, his work concentrated on crime, he now finds himself dealing with everything from court appearances and community policing to crime, traffic and public order. His first priority is to get involved in the local community as he believes the people of the area have an important role to play. Public order and antisocial behaviour are also priorities. "We want to make places safe so that the community can live, work and socialise in peace, and again, we will engage with the local community and schools on this," he said. "I have a strong interest in crime, especially against the elderly, and this is one of the main areas where I will try to make an impact," he added. Supt McGowan also ranks road safety as being very important and hopes to be able to prevent tragedies similar to the weekend's disaster in Donegal. "We will be targeting young people in school and be talking to them about boy racing, 'donuts' and other dangerous behaviour," he said. Supt McGowan is married to Assistant Commissioner for Crime and Security, Noirin O'Sullivan, and they have three sons in their 20s.