John Bates, an inspector with Ireland’s National Police Services who has spent most of his 30-year career investigating the Irish Republic Army (IRA), will visit Northern Essex Community College’s Lawrence Campus on Monday, March 2 to talk about his work and compare the national police system in his country to the decentralized system in the United States.

 Sponsored by the college’s Criminal Justice Program, the presentation is free and open to the public and will be held in the El Hefni Building, Room LC301, 414 Common St, Lawrence, beginning at 1 p.m.

 Bates serves as senior investigating officer in Dublin’s North Inner City with An Garda Siochana, the national police service of Ireland.   He is responsible for the detective unit and selected uniform units and has previously worked in immigration and intelligence.  He has a degree in police leadership from University College, Dublin, and diplomas in Psychology of Criminal Behavior from National College of Ireland and Terrorism Studies from St. Andrew’s University.

 Bates works closely with Europol, Interpol, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and his presentation will be appropriate for anyone with an interest in the criminal justice field.

 Northern Essex offers an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice and a Certificate in Law Enforcement.  Graduates can either enter the workforce directly or transfer to a four-year program. 

 For more information, contact Scott Joubert of the NECC Criminal Justice faculty, sjoubert@necc.mass.edu.