Roscrea calls for CCTV
A new campaign is to be launched in Roscrea this Thursday calling for a CCTV camera surveillance scheme for the town.
Following the recent much-reported burglary and attack on a 94-year old man, the community has once again decided to join together and “stand up” against what Roscrea sees as an attack on the community as a whole. It is feared that this attack could manifest itself again at any time against any of the town's elderly, and thus most vulnerable members.
Roscrea Stands Up Chairman Derek Russell, having entered into discussions with the gardaí as to the possibility of CCTV for Roscrea, is now set to launch a community initiative for same at a public Roscrea Community Development Council (RCDC) meeting in the Abbey Hall this Thursday, May 25th, at 8pm, at which the gardaí will also be in attendance. The meeting is open to all and RCDC are urging the community as a whole to attend and empower itself against the threat of those who wish to take advantage of disempowered communities.
Chairman of RCDC John Lupton is urging all businesses, community groups, resident associations, sporting and other organisations to come to the meeting on Thursday night and to commit themselves to ensuring that the town of Roscrea has CCTV and thus a means of protecting community, as well as businesses, and most especially the elderly and the most vulnerable members of community. He points out that Roscrea is an ageing community.
“The number of us who will be 70 years and more within the next 10 years alone will be proportionately significantly higher than ever before and thus, as a community, we are more vulnerable to criminal gangs who will use our proximity to the motorway as an easy getaway.
“We have talked about CCTV, and looked for it, for long enough,” Mr Lutpon said. “Now it is time to 'stand up', come together and do what needs to be done to acquire it. CCTV is now a very necessary aid for the gardaí to combat crime and keep our community and its people safe.”
It is expected that the cost to the community of Roscrea, alone to have CCTV installed will be in the region of €25,000 to €30,000. Mr Lupton said that while we could look at this initially as being prohibitive, the onus is on Roscrea as a community to look at it strategically, inspired by the certainty that much of what has happened for the good in Roscrea has been created within, by the Roscrea people.
“It must be possible in the community of Roscrea to alone find 40 to 50 community organisations and large businesses who would contribute sponsorship of €500 each for a comprehensive CCTV network for the town, not to mention those who may be willing to give €100 in patronage, or those willing to support a few community fundraising events,” he said. “We merely need to say to ourselves 'it can be done' and thus 'it will be done!'”
Therefore, all are encouraged to attend this week’s meeting in the Abbey Hall Roscrea and by doing so, help prevent another elderly person in Roscrea from being attacked in the manner that the town recently experienced.