Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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786. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will make the necessary resources available to provide a dedicated phone line in both the Tullow and Carlow 24 hour Garda Stations for use by the pinpoint text alert system set up by many concerned communities. [46293/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Garda Síochána work closely with local communities to enhance community safety through a wide range of measures, including the Neighbourhood Watch and Community Alert Schemes, and the new Garda Text Alert Scheme. The Community Text Alert Service is a communication process from An Garda Síochána to the public and it is an enhancement to the existing Garda Community Crime Prevention Programme. This service, which has been designed in consultation with Community Alert (Muintir na Tíre), Neighbourhood Watch and the Irish Farmers Association, is community driven and provides a mechanism for a community to register a Community Contact with their local District Headquarters Garda Station. The guidelines for establishing and operating a Community Text Alert Service are on the Garda Website .

Following the registration of a Community Text Alert area, An Garda Síochána will provide information by text or e-mail to a registered Community Contact who, in turn, will forward the information by text or e-mail to the members of their Community Group. I have been advised by the Garda authorities that Pinpoint Text Alert refers to a private company which has engaged with Muintir na Tire to act on their behalf as a Community Contact for the purpose of establishing an automatic message forwarding service. In particular, An Garda Síochána is not affiliated with Pinpoint Text Alert and it is not involved in the distribution of information by or on behalf of the company.