International Police Association Members Meet in County Clare

The Irish Section of the International Police Association (IPA) is holding its annual conference at Ennistymon in County Clare this weekend.

Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy and police officers from Luxembourg, Poland, USA and Great Britain are among the delegates attending the two-day event. The IPA is a non-political and non-sectarian organisation that promotes social, cultural and professional exchanges between its member sections. The international organisation comprises 361,000 serving and retired policemen from over 60 countries making it the largest police organisation in the world. The Irish Section represents over 11,000 serving and retired members of An Garda Síochana.

Retired Garda Sergeant and President of the Irish Section of the IPA, Billy Saunderson said that the conference presented members with the opportunity to discuss matters of mutual personal and professional concern. Mr. Saunderson, who served as a Garda in Ennistymon, added, “There are many benefits for retired and serving members of An Garda Síochana in joining the organisation. For example, members are provided with immediate support at times of crisis while at home or abroad, the children of members engage in international cultural gatherings and exchanges, and members engage in fundraising for local and community causes.”

Mayor of Clare Councillor Madeleine Taylor Quinn launched the IPA conference today. Addressing delegates, the Mayor spoke about he importance of the police force to the community, the provision of security to the citizens and the recruitment of non-nationals into An Garda Síochana. “Democracy is based on the strength of the security of our citizens”, commented Mayor Taylor Quinn.

She continued, “An Garda Síochana and police forces across the world provide a sterling service. Each and every one of us has an obligation to fully support and assist them in the course of their work. The public and Gardaí (police) are interdependent. We are secure because of their presence and they can only be as effective as the public enable them to be. The cooperation of the public relating to crime is essential for crime detection and prevention. We cannot afford to remove ourselves when we have knowledge or sightings of acts or behaviour that could be helpful to police investigations.”

“As we celebrate this week the 60th anniversary of the declaration of the Irish Republic by the then Taoiseach John A. Costello, which was the final step in establishing Irish independence from Great Britain, one cannot but reflect and wonder whether the Republic of 2009 is the one envisaged by our forefathers. We have exchanged freedom from foreign rule for most of our country, and our citizens enjoy freedom from arbitrary arrest, but freedom is much more than freedom from the abuse of tyranny. Until we are free and independent of organised gangland crime and the scourge of drugs across this country we will not be truly free and independent”, added the Mayor.

Councillor Taylor Quinn noted that the publication of the new Criminal Justice Surveillance Bill would provide much needed assistance to An Garda Síochana in bringing criminals to justice. She expressed her hope that the new Bill would quickly become law and be fully implemented. Commenting on the work of the International Police Association, Mayor Taylor Quinn said, “The IPA must be lauded for the work carried out by its member sections at local, national and international level. The building of transnational relationships between current and retired members of police forces across the world greatly assists and enhances the work of Interpol and other international police organisations. It also serves to assist the members’ understanding of other cultures, traditions and police practices in the many nations represented.”

“Support and backing from fellow police officers in good and bad times plays an integral role in the success and ethos of the IPA. I salute its members for their generosity of spirit, kinship and goodwill towards each other. Their work is always challenging and often dangerous, but it is greatly appreciated and regarded by members of the public”, she concluded.

International Police Association Members Meet in County Clare

The Irish Section of the International Police Association (IPA) is holding its annual conference at Ennistymon in County Clare this weekend.

Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy and police officers from Luxembourg, Poland, USA and Great Britain are among the delegates attending the two-day event. The IPA is a non-political and non-sectarian organisation that promotes social, cultural and professional exchanges between its member sections. The international organisation comprises 361,000 serving and retired policemen from over 60 countries making it the largest police organisation in the world. The Irish Section represents over 11,000 serving and retired members of An Garda Síochana.

Retired Garda Sergeant and President of the Irish Section of the IPA, Billy Saunderson said that the conference presented members with the opportunity to discuss matters of mutual personal and professional concern. Mr. Saunderson, who served as a Garda in Ennistymon, added, “There are many benefits for retired and serving members of An Garda Síochana in joining the organisation. For example, members are provided with immediate support at times of crisis while at home or abroad, the children of members engage in international cultural gatherings and exchanges, and members engage in fundraising for local and community causes.”

Mayor of Clare Councillor Madeleine Taylor Quinn launched the IPA conference today. Addressing delegates, the Mayor spoke about he importance of the police force to the community, the provision of security to the citizens and the recruitment of non-nationals into An Garda Síochana. “Democracy is based on the strength of the security of our citizens”, commented Mayor Taylor Quinn.

She continued, “An Garda Síochana and police forces across the world provide a sterling service. Each and every one of us has an obligation to fully support and assist them in the course of their work. The public and Gardaí (police) are interdependent. We are secure because of their presence and they can only be as effective as the public enable them to be. The cooperation of the public relating to crime is essential for crime detection and prevention. We cannot afford to remove ourselves when we have knowledge or sightings of acts or behaviour that could be helpful to police investigations.”

“As we celebrate this week the 60th anniversary of the declaration of the Irish Republic by the then Taoiseach John A. Costello, which was the final step in establishing Irish independence from Great Britain, one cannot but reflect and wonder whether the Republic of 2009 is the one envisaged by our forefathers. We have exchanged freedom from foreign rule for most of our country, and our citizens enjoy freedom from arbitrary arrest, but freedom is much more than freedom from the abuse of tyranny. Until we are free and independent of organised gangland crime and the scourge of drugs across this country we will not be truly free and independent”, added the Mayor.

Councillor Taylor Quinn noted that the publication of the new Criminal Justice Surveillance Bill would provide much needed assistance to An Garda Síochana in bringing criminals to justice. She expressed her hope that the new Bill would quickly become law and be fully implemented. Commenting on the work of the International Police Association, Mayor Taylor Quinn said, “The IPA must be lauded for the work carried out by its member sections at local, national and international level. The building of transnational relationships between current and retired members of police forces across the world greatly assists and enhances the work of Interpol and other international police organisations. It also serves to assist the members’ understanding of other cultures, traditions and police practices in the many nations represented.”

“Support and backing from fellow police officers in good and bad times plays an integral role in the success and ethos of the IPA. I salute its members for their generosity of spirit, kinship and goodwill towards each other. Their work is always challenging and often dangerous, but it is greatly appreciated and regarded by members of the public”, she concluded.

Major telecommunications services announcement for Mid West

Businesses in the Atlantic regions received a major boost today (Thursday April 16th) with the news that high capacity telecommunications services, business resilience and infrastructure developments are now available to companies located in the West and Mid-West.

Details of the new services, which mean that companies in the region can now avail of high speed telecommunications services of up to 155 Mbps, were outlined at an information event for local business people which was organised by AirSpeed Telecom, in conjunction with WARS (Work Area Recovery Systems) and Shannon Development. The event, which was held at the WARS Recovery Centre in the Information Age Park, Ennis, was officiated by Minister of State, Tony Killeen TD, and included speakers from AirSpeed Telcom, WARS and Shannon Development.

Attendees at the event heard that AirSpeed Telecom, the telecommunications company which operates a nationwide licensed wireless radio transmission network, has now added a new high capacity node to its network at Magheragh, North Clare. This means that high bandwidth uncontended broadband services from 1Mbps to 155Mbps and beyond are now available to businesses in the West and Mid-West regions at rates competitive with those available in the main urban areas.

As well as providing these essential services to Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, Galway and it’s Gaeltacht hinterland, AirSpeed Telecom has also teamed up with WARS to equip the Information Age Park in Ennis with high capacity telecommunications which are now available to any company interested in utilising the WARS business continuity and disaster recovery service. AirSpeed Telecom customers currently on the high-speed service include Údarás na Gaeltachta, HEANet, BreastCheck, Olympus, TG4 and Genesis Leasing.

Speaking at the event, Minister of State, Tony Killeen TD, commented that: “The provision of high speed telecommunications, business resilience and infrastructure developments are of great importance to the Atlantic region. Having these options strengthens our ability to attract new industry to the region and I commend AirSpeed Telecom, WARS and Shannon Development for providing these essential services.”

Brendan Martin, Sales Director with AirSpeed Telecom, outlined the new service AirSpeed Telecom is bringing to the Atlantic regions: “AirSpeed Telecom is providing a new carrier class telecommunications network that brings high speed access to the Internet, international telecoms links and an alternative service infrastructure as good as fibre, but without the cost of building fibre to the business. Access to high capacity telecommunications services is of vital importance to the future of Ireland’s economy and AirSpeed Telecom is delighted to provide this new high bandwidth service to existing businesses in the Atlantic region and to any new businesses wishing to locate in the area.”

Shannon Development has 57 business locations dotted around the Shannon Region. These locations include a series of five inter-linked regional technology parks and business incubators which are collectively known as the Shannon Development Knowledge Network, and the Information Age Business Park (IAPE) in Ennis is one of these. John Quinlivan, Regional Development Manager with Shannon Development, says: “Each Knowledge Network business location is dedicated to providing the resources and environment in which ideas and knowledge-based businesses are created, developed and succeed. We provide the facilities to help companies grow, from hot desks and incubation centres at our InnovationWorks, to property solutions for manufacturing and knowledge-based businesses. Our goal is to stimulate entrepreneurial potential and to develop a sustainable enterprise culture in the Shannon Region. We are particularly pleased that WARS and AirSpeed Telecom have chosen the Information Age Park and we look forward to working with them to grow their business.”

Paul O’Brien, Managing Director of WARS, spoke about the growing importance of disaster recovery for businesses and announced the expansion of the work area recovery facility in Ennis: “The WARS facility has been significantly expanded, offering a complete service in business continuity and disaster recovery. Located in the Information Age Park and facilitated by Shannon Development, WARS have added more space and high-speed connectivity from AirSpeed Telecom to our state-of-the-art complete recovery facility.

“Every enterprise has knowledge at its core and its ability to protect that knowledge and perform business transactions is essential to its survival. Business people concerned about continuity in the event of a disaster are invited to view the facility and see how they can mitigate against loss of facilities and/or services. WARS plan to further develop the site in the future with a 30,000 square foot purpose built facility in the Information Age Park.”

AirSpeed Telecom has considerable expertise in the development of licensed wireless network in regions poorly serviced by traditional telecoms and recently signed a deal with Údarás na Gaeltachta to provide high speed connectivity from its regional offices in Galway, Kerry and Donegal to the Government network. In addition, AirSpeed Telecom inked a deal with HEAnet to provide high speed network services to facilitate their network extension to the Galway and Donegal Gaeltacht regions.

AirSpeed Telecom has also recently invested €2.3million in their network as part of a multi-million euro long term investment plan which demonstrates the company’s commitment to remain at the leading edge of radio transmission service provision in Ireland. AirSpeed Telecom employs 35 at offices in Dublin (Citywest) and Cork (CIT Campus). Clients include RTE, HEANet, Údarás na Gaeltachta, Dairygold, NCSS (BreastCheck), Windmill Lane and Vista Primary Care.