A follow-up public meeting is to take place in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan next week, addressing a number of concerns held by residents of the town.
It comes after a similar community forum was held in May, at which people highlighted a wide range of issues they said have been impacting the town.
Local Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy will host the follow-up meeting next Monday, and has said this was a commitment that he had made when he addressed the previous event early this summer.
The issues of migration and what was being done to address people's concerns about crime and anti-social behaviour were raised by the floor on several occasions at the previous meeting.
However, those in attendance also highlighted a range of other issues. These included dereliction, a shortage in the number of GPs in the town and facilities for people with disabilities, a lack of public amenities, and what people described as inadequate public street lighting.
Deputy Carthy has said that the purpose of the follow-up meeting will be for he and other Sinn Féin representatives to feedback on their engagements with gardaí, the council and other stage agencies while also allowing local residents to share their views, concerns and proposals.
In a statement, the Cavan-Monaghan TD said: "Back in May, after being contacted by several concerned residents of the town, I organised a community meeting where local residents had an opportunity to raise their concerns.
"The meeting took place against a backdrop of a lot of community anger and frustration, which I shared. At the meeting we heard loud and clear a demand for action.
"People present raised a wide range of issues, including the need for more gardaí, a feeling of intimidation in the town, overcrowding of rental properties in the town centre, pressure on local services, government’s mismanagement of migration, the need for improved street lighting, dereliction and the need for regeneration, the need for more amenities for our young people and the demand for better nightlife facilities.
"Since that meeting, I and Sinn Féin councillors have brought those concerns to every available forum both publicly and privately. Meanwhile, local community groups and the Carrickmacross business community have been working flat out to support our town."
Deputy Carthy went on to say: "Ultimately, we want to ensure that Carrickmacross is a safe town with the services, facilities and amenities that our community deserves. Much more still needs to be done.
"Monday’s follow-up meeting will provide a chance to stock-take on the work done and for us, as elected representatives, to hear directly from the people of the town as to their views, concerns and proposals.
"Once again, all residents of the Carrickmacross area are welcome to attend. I hope that this will be a further constructive step in making Carrick the best possible place to live, work and raise a family," he added.
Overall reduction in reported crime
In a previous statement to RTÉ News, gardaí said that there has been an overall reduction of 4% in reported crime at Carrickmacross Garda Station last year compared to 2023.
They also said that the Louth/Cavan/Monaghan division is currently policed by 704 members of An Garda Síochána of all ranks, and this represents a 16% increase on garda numbers in the then Cavan/Monaghan and Louth Divisions compared to 10 years ago.
Gardaí in the division also said that they are continuing to support and work with local communities to detect and prevent rural crime, which they said they "understand does impact on the feeling of personal and community safety."
The follow-up public meeting will take place in the Shirley Arms Hotel in Carrickmacross next Monday 29 September at 7pm.
