THE HEAD of the State’s private security regulatory body has been asked to discuss the policing of the Corrib gas project with north Mayo residents today.
Private Security Authority chief executive Geraldine Larkin is due to attend a session of the Government’s north-west Mayo forum in Belmullet this afternoon, at the request of its chairman Joe Brosnan and two Government ministers.
Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Eamon Ó Cuív and Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan are also expected to attend the session, which will be open to the press for the first time since the forum was established late last year.
The invitation to Ms Larkin arose as a result of recent discussions between Mr Ó Cuív and representatives of Galway Shell to Sea over concerns about the private security company working for Shell in Erris.
Last year, security guards contracted to Shell at the Glengad landfall for the Corrib gas pipeline aroused criticism for not wearing clear identification, and for apparently filming local residents, including children walking to the beach.
Mr John Monaghan of community group Pobal Chill Chomáin made several efforts on behalf of the community to raise the issues with the Private Security Authority, which is charged with enforcing the Private Security Act 2004.
Following the shooting dead of Tipperary man Michael Dwyer in Bolivia some three-months ago, it was confirmed that he had worked as a security man at Glengad last year. Questions were raised about whether the engineering graduate had full security guard authorisation for the IRMS work at the time.
Two months ago on April 23rd , Rossport resident Willie Corduff was hospitalised overnight in Castlebar, following a confrontation with Shell security at Glengad.
Mr Corduff had lodged himself under a truck in protest over authorisation for works carried out by Shell at the Glengad landfall in advance of planning permission for the Corrib pipeline.
Investigations have also been demanded to establish the facts surrounding the recent sinking of a shellfish boat owned by fishermen and Shell to Sea supporter Pat O’Donnell off Erris Head. Raising the issue in the Dáil, Labour Party’s Michael D Higgins asked Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern to establish the “status of the existing legislation on the practice of private security companies, and what specifically, is their relationship with the Garda Commissioner”.
Invitations have been issued to a number of community groups and residents to attend today’s meeting. Direct talks between Shell and community groups Pobal Chill Chomáin and Pobal Le Chéile, which had been convened by forum chair Joe Brosnan, collapsed in early April and there has been only one meeting of the forum since then.
Separately, An Bord Pleanála is due to finish its oral hearing this week into Shell’s application for a modified onshore pipeline route. The pipelaying ship Solitaire is due into Erris this week to begin work on the offshore work, which has separate ministerial consent . The Naval Service has confirmed that it will be assisting the Garda in providing security during the pipelaying work, which was suspended last year.
