Thomastown is to get a new Garda Superintendent.
Birr-based Colin Furlong’s to make a return to the county, the Wexford native’s no stranger to Kilkenny having served here at various grades over the years, while he was also involved in a number of sporting endeavours.
He will now take up the position vacated by Tony Lonergan.
There were fears the role wouldn’t be filled in the District as Cllr Pat Fitzpatrick, who Chairs the Joint Policing Committee has been outlining; “There was a lot of concern because in the policing plan there was speculation that we would only have in Carlow and Kilkenny two Superintendents, one in Carlow and one in Kilkenny, but at the Joint Policing and local councillors we fought it very, very strongly and we also engaged with the Commissioner and particularly the Chief Superintendent here, the Waterford / Kilkenny / Carlow Divison Padraig Dunne to emphasis our concerns but also the importance of the role of Superintendent in Thomastown”.
“It strengthens and reinforces the commitment to policing in Kilkenny, as Chairman of the Joint Policing I’d be very strong on that, I’ve been very much pushing that we would retain as much as possible the services that An Garda Siochána provide to the community because it’s the community supporting An Garda Siochána that can keep crime down and everyone has a role to play in it and indeed the management of An Garda Siochána again by placing a Supt in Thomastown have acceded to our request”.
