MALIN Head
Neighbourhood Watch continues to provide peace of
mind for the elderly and vulnerable in Inishowen’s
most northerly community.
The organisation, which was set-up in response to a
spate of burglaries in the county 18 months ago,
monitors any suspicious activity in the area 24
hours a day, 7 days a week.
Ten local men take it in turns to answer calls from
concerned Malin Head residents who may have
witnessed any suspicious activity.
The group’s motto is ‘Better Safe than Sorry’ and
they will check out any incident, no matter how
small, reported to them.
Malin Head Neighbourhood Watch works in conjunction
with other local watch schemes and members of An
Garda Síochána to operate as the eyes and ears of
the peninsula.
A spokesman for the group said that one of the
primary objectives of the community organisation was
to make vulnerable people feel safe in their beds.
“When we started up the service we went round all
the elderly people in Malin Head giving them our
number. They are really appreciative of the work we
do,” he said.
“Last month an elderly man reported a suspicious van
driving up and down a quiet dark road. He called us
and we were able to put his mind at rest. It turned
out to be nothing but you never know. In a rural
area like Malin Head everyone knows everyone so it
is easy to recognise something out of the ordinary.”
The spokesman praised the efforts of the Gardai,
who, he said, were quick to respond to any incidents
reported to them.
“Our first port of call is always to alert the
Gardai. If we receive a call reporting suspicious
activity we inform the authorities before driving up
ourselves to scare away any would-be criminals. It
is up to the people in the community to continue to
make Malin Head Neighbourhood Watch a success,” he
added. |
