Older people should not hesitate to contact An Garda Síochána to report any suspicious activity in the vicinity of their homes. That’s according to Maureen Kavanagh, Chief Executive Officer of Active Retirement Ireland (ARI ), the national representative body for 544 Active Retirement Associations throughout Ireland, with a total membership of over 22,500 people.
Speaking in the wake of a number of recent attacks on isolated older people in their homes, Ms Kavanagh stated: “I am urging older people throughout the country to make themselves aware of the telephone number for their local garda station – memorise it, or keep it written down beside your phone; and then, if you notice anything suspicious in the vicinity of your home, use that number immediately to contact your local gardaí.
“We know from previous consultations with our membership that older people are sometimes reluctant to call the guards for fear they might be seen to be wasting police time, but An Garda Síochána has assured us that the best possible course of action for older people who notice anything suspicious is to report it to their local garda station immediately.
“Reporting suspicious activities will, hopefully, help to prevent further heinous crimes of the type perpetrated against older people in counties Limerick and Galway in recent weeks. Active Retirement Ireland is appalled by these recent attacks on older people in their homes. We are encouraging all of our members to be vigilant in checking on their neighbours, family members and friends and to ensure they keep their local gardaí informed of any suspicious activity.”
Contact details for garda stations throughout the country are available at: www.garda.ie/stations/default aspx
