Retiring Superintendent: 'I find it frustrating that we can't get the message across that Longford is a safe place to be'

In a 38 year career as a guardian of the peace in Ireland retiring superintendent Seamus Boyle has worked on a number of nationally significant cases.

Last Friday the Bunlahy native called time on a job that saw him rise through the ranks of An Garda Síochána.

Supt Boyle completed his training in Templemore Garda College in 1986, served as a Detective between Ronanstown and Clondalkin before promotion to Sergeant saw him move to Tallaght in 2000.

His career saw him work on high profile cases such as the Veronica Guerin inquiry and the investigation into The C-Case in 1997.

“I loved every minute of it, to be honest,” he told the Leader on his first Monday as a civilian in a long time."

Presentation to retiring Longford superintendent Seamus Boyle

For the last three years he has been the top ranked Garda in Longford, prior to that he was chief of the Granard District.
With his 2021 appointment he identified improving the reputation of Longford as top of his agenda.

One of the key tools to address this was the Community Safety Partnership, which then was a pilot scheme being run in Longford, Waterford and Dublin’s north inner city, before its national roll out.

“I suppose there was a perception people have that Longford wasn't the safe place to go, especially Longford Town,” Supt Boyle said, “I think a survey we did with the Partnership that time showed 90% of the people said they were afraid to come into town after 6 o'clock in the evening.”

Having served in urban centres with high crime rates the “fear of crime” in Longford made no sense: “I found that a distressing stat, and not true. I think it's very unfair. I was chatting to a woman recently, and she said, “Oh, I'd hate to come into Longford Town”.

“I asked her why? She said, “I'm afraid”. When I asked what she was afraid of she said, “All the public disorder on the Main Street”. When I asked what evidence she had to back that up, she admitted she had none, other than 'a feeling'.”

The outgoing Superintendent is in a good position to assess the difference between a public perception of Longford as a 'dangerous place' and crime statistics showing it's not.

Also read: End of an era as Longford Garda Superintendent retires after 38 years service in the force

“You have isolated incidents on and off, but the last two and a half years, there's been nothing happening in Longford Town, apart from a couple of fellas that are drunk,” he says, “Our crime rates in Longford are low. Detection rates are very good, I find it frustrating that we can't get the message across that Longford is a safe place to be.”

Superintendent Boyle says when compared with the four neighbouring county towns, ours is the safest: “If my four teenagers are going to Longford, I'm happy that they're going to be okay. If they go to other towns, I wouldn't be as relaxed, to be honest with you.”

The selection of Longford as one of the pilot areas of the Community Safety Partnership initiative has given the county a head start on addressing some social issues.

The retiring Superintendent took over the top Garda job in Longford as that programme was being rolled out: “The Community Safety Partnership has been brilliant.

“The fact we've been able to work with agencies and the community has certainly given us a greater focus on what we, as an Garda Síochána, need to do with the public. There is a greater emphasis on education, especially projects like the children's court. I think it has had a significant influence. I think there's a greater level of communication between us and the community groups.”

Ireland has undergone fundamental social and societal changes in the last decade. The makeup of An Garda Síochána reflects those changes.

“There's a lot of work done with minority groups that we have in Longford through the Partnership. Community integration is a key component of what we do. There's a lot of really good work that has been done there,” the newly retired Superintendent said.

Also read: Longford Garda Station welcomes two new recruits this week

The LEAP Project is identified as a part of this education based approach. LEAP is a Garda Youth Diversion Project that supports and engages young people who have been involved in antisocial or criminal behaviour by providing suitable activities to facilitate personal development.

“You wouldn't believe the amount of work that they're doing with young kids. I see it first hand, because these kids are coming to our attention. When they're linked in with LEAP they're not coming to our attention.

“There's an awful lot of on-scene work, community workers in the area. If you drive round Granard or Edgeworthstown in the last few years, you can see that they just look like they are in a better place.”

The retiring Superintendent says Longford's size is one of its strengths: “I've worked in places like Neilstown and Clondalkin, places with huge levels of poverty and unemployment. In every way, Longford is streets and streets ahead.

“What the partnership is doing in Ardnacassa and McEoin Park; by providing community houses, sporting facilities is vital. The plans for Palace Crescent Street are spectacular.”

For Supt Boyle the most significant challenge faced by the force in the coming years is one that has been an issue for most of his career: “Lack of resources is a big issue for us at the moment.

“It's a huge issue. There's so much that you want to do, but you cannot do, because we just don't have the resources to do it. We're just spread so thin.

“The Commissioner wants to get up to 15,000, and we're under 14,000. Speaking honestly, to do what we need to do, we need around 18,000 guards. We're way, way too short.”

In the last three and half decades that Seamus Boyle has been a serving Guard the workload of officers has changed. Equipment has gone from walkie-talkies and steel toed footwear to digital instruments.

Seamus leaves as many significant tools for policing are entering: “Some of the technology that's going to be introduced, like body-worn camera systems, are going to be a significant game-changer for the guards. The ability to record incidents, the ability to record violent protests. To use AI to facilitate translations into foreign languages. When we're interviewing prisoners it will be recorded and AI can transcribe it. There will be big changes in An Garda Síochána.”

The retiring Superintendent says there are many challenges for his replacement: “There's a lot of retirements coming up in the next couple of months in the Longford area. And they're all good people, experienced people who know the job. Whoever's coming in, will have a big task of getting the resources to replace all the talent they are losing. They will have to keep driving on our involvement with the Community Safety Partnership.”

The last five years in Longford have brought Supt Boyle in contact with many Community representatives: “I've worked with a lot of people, a lot of really good people in Longford. Be they politicians, like local County Councillors, people who really have Longford at their heart. Everything they do is for the betterment of Longford.

“Then there are the community groups there. There's a wonderful Travellers Network here in Longford. More really, really good people.

“But we just don't give ourselves the credit we deserve for what we're actually doing. We're very quick to run ourselves down. I think we should have more pride in Longford. And more pride in the facilities that are in Longford.

“If you look around you can see we're the envy of other counties. We have wonderful facilities for athletics, swimming, any sports you can name. Longford is a great place to bring up your children. I know, because it's where my family is.”

Also read: New Garda chief aims ‘to change the public perception of Longford’