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Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Councillors Aidan Mathers and Declan Murphy have welcomed a joint meeting between the Newry, Mourne and Down PCSP and the Louth LCSP, describing it as an important step in strengthening community safety and wellbeing. The meeting brought together community safety partners from both sides of the border to discuss shared challenges and opportunities facing communities in the wider Newry-Louth region.
Issues included rural crime, road safety, anti-social behaviour, youth engagement, community resilience, public health and the prevention of organised criminal activity. Those present recognised that the border is no barrier to many of the issues affecting local communities and that greater cooperation between community safety partners can help deliver more effective responses and better outcomes for citizens.
Newry City Councillor Aidan Mathers said people on both sides of the border lived interconnected lives. "The reality is that people in Newry, South Armagh, Dundalk and across County Louth live, work, study and socialise across the border every day. Community safety challenges do not stop at a customs post or county boundary, and our response should reflect the reality of modern life on this island." He added that cooperation between the PSNI and An Garda Síochána had already shown the benefits of working together. "We have already seen the benefits of cooperation between the PSNI and An Garda Síochána in tackling organised crime and keeping communities safe. There is now a real opportunity to build on that success by strengthening cooperation between our community safety partnerships and developing practical initiatives that make a positive difference to people's daily lives."
Cllr Mathers said the Good Friday Agreement and other initiatives had laid the groundwork for further cooperation. "The Good Friday Agreement created the structures that allow us to work together across this island. The Shared Island initiative and PEACEPLUS programme now provide further opportunities to strengthen those connections and deliver practical benefits for communities. We should be ambitious in exploring what more can be achieved through partnership working."
Slieve Gullion Councillor Declan Murphy described the discussion as positive and forward looking. "This was a very positive and forward-looking discussion. Community safety is about prevention, partnership and building stronger communities. By sharing experiences and working together on common priorities we can help create safer environments for families, young people, older people and vulnerable members of our communities." He said there was enormous potential for collaboration across a range of areas. "There is enormous potential for collaboration in areas such as youth engagement, road safety, rural crime prevention, tackling anti-social behaviour and promoting community wellbeing. These are issues that affect communities on both sides of the border and which would benefit from a coordinated approach."
Both councillors said there was significant potential for the Newry, Mourne and Down PCSP and Louth LCSP to become a model for cross-border community safety cooperation, and highlighted opportunities available through PEACEPLUS and the Irish Government's Shared Island Initiative to support innovative partnership projects. Cllr Murphy said an all-island approach did not mean uniform structures. "An all-island approach does not mean everyone has to operate under the same structures. It means recognising shared challenges, building relationships and working together where it makes sense to do so. The communities we represent expect practical solutions and cooperation that improves quality of life, and that is exactly what this engagement is about."
Concluding, the councillors said they looked forward to further engagement between the two partnerships and to exploring opportunities for joint projects, shared learning and ongoing cooperation in support of safer, healthier and more connected communities throughout the Newry-Louth region. "This region has always been interconnected. The challenge now is to ensure that our community safety structures are equally connected and equally ambitious in serving the people who live here."
