Families being driven out of their homes on Cork's northside due to gang intimidation, Dáil hears

FAMILIES have been driven out of their homes on Cork’s northside because of intimidation by young gangs, the Dáil was told last night.

Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould raised the issue of anti-social behaviour in parts of the northside during a debate on the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2021.

He said that, in recent weeks, “a number of communities in my area have come under attack”.

He added that some families had moved out of their homes because of this.

Mr Gould said that this resulted in children being uprooted from the only place they’d ever known because their parents didn’t feel safe there anymore.

He said: “I know people who’ve been attacked and they’re scared to go outside their front door. Local authorities should be supported with putting CCTV up in hotspots and, realistically, social media companies need to be held to account for the content they allow go up because that’s fuelling a lot of these incidents.

“With youth services shut, many young people who’d never have been in trouble in their lives are turning to criminality and anti-social behaviour.”

“We need a proper plan for young people to make sure we don’t lose them to criminality and drugs,” Mr Gould said.

He added: “Most importantly though, we need boots on the ground.

“We know every summer there’s an increase in criminality and anti-social behaviour.

“If we don’t put the resources in now, if we don’t act proactively, these situations are going to continue to spiral.

“These are good communities that are looking for support now before things continue to get worse.”

Mr Gould raised concerns about the number of community gardaí in Cork City, saying that the number fell by nine, from 45 in April 2020 to 36 three months later.

He told The Echo of a recent incident in which a teenager was injured and had to get stitches following an attack by another group of teenagers.

A Garda spokesman said: “Anyone who has been a victim of any crime is asked to contact their local Garda station.”

Gardaí are continuing their investigations into an assault on two women in a Cork city park on Saturday night.

The women were assaulted in Glen River Park in Ballyvolane and both suffered bruising and soft tissue injuries as a result.

In a statement, a spokesperson for An Garda Síochána said: “Gardaí at Watercourse Road are investigating the alleged assault of two females (20s) during an incident at Glen River Park, Ballyvolane. It’s understood that the two women were assaulted following an altercation with a group of youths while sitting in the park shortly before 11pm on Saturday 24 April 2021. No arrests have been made to date. Enquires are ongoing.” 

Workers Party councillor Ted Tynan is now calling for security to be introduced in all parks across the city following the incident as a matter of urgency.

Cllr Tynan said: “In February of this year, I highlighted several serious problems facing the Glen River Valley Park, including anti-social behaviour. In this request, I called for improved security and the deployment of park rangers to the park. However, this call has gone unheeded. Our parks need to be a safe environment for citizens to enjoy, without fear of assault.” 

Gardaí have asked anyone with information to contact Watercourse Road on 021 4558260 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666111.