New Garda initiative piloted in county

A new Garda digital initiative to help vulnerable adults in the county is being piloted in County Roscommon.

Inspector David Cryan told a meeting of Roscommon Joint Policing Committee that the new Digital Older Persons Register was started in Mayo and was now being piloted in County Roscommon.

"This will form the basis of having more collaborative efforts of our policing units in terms of visits and supports of this cohort of our community,” he said, adding that a cohort of twenty people have been included in this pilot.

Under the initiative, consenting vulnerable people can have their details, such as next of kin, uploaded to the Garda app.

“So. the Garda who is out patrolling can have a look and say, ‘I haven’t called to this person, I’ll call in’,” Inspector Cryan told the meeting.

He added that the pilot was being rolled out locally by Garda John O’Connor and Sgt Deirdre Coleman. A presentation on that pilot will be held for the JPC early next year.

Chief Superintendent Ray McMahon said that it was a fantastic, award-winning initiative, and that it would be very worthwhile to see that presentation.

Speaking to the Herald, Inspector Cryan said that the initiative was established by a Garda Sergeant in Mayo and had been a great success, winning an award from Age Friendly Ireland.

“The plan is to pilot it here and launch it officially next year,” he said. He said that the initiative was run in conjunction with the popular ‘Message in a Bottle scheme’.

“If someone lets us know that there is someone living alone in an isolated area, we go and let them know about the ‘Message In A Bottle’ scheme. It is completely voluntary. We ask if they want to be added to the digital register,” he said.

This will allow Gardaí to ensure that vulnerable people living in isolated areas are checked in on, Inspector Cryan said.

He agreed that the initiative was ideal for the county given its rural nature, and he reiterated that Roscommon was the safest county in the country.

The 'Message in a Bottle' project allows medical and other information relating to any person who lives alone to be stored in one place. The bottle is then stored in the fridge and readily available to the emergency services should they need to visit the home.