Femail YOBS TERRORISING RAIL PASSENGERS
Complaints over intimidation on Irish Rail services almost double
YOBBISH behaviour on Irish Rail services is plaguing passengers – and leading to a soaring numbers of complaints about intimidation and worse.
Passengers are making complaints about anti-social behaviour on the railways every single day on average – a significant increase on the past two years.
Such is the problem in Dublin alone – where knife-carrying louts held up a Dart in May – that Fianna Fáil is demanding a Transport Police Unit to protect commuters in the capital from intimidation and bad behaviour.
John Lahart TD said: ‘It is deeply frustrating that the challenging behaviour of a small disruptive minority continues to cause
disruption to services. Fianna Fáil has proposed the establishment of a Dublin Transport Police Unit which will be responsible for enforcing the law on all public transport services in Dublin.’
Mr Lahart, Fianna Fáil’s Dublin spokesman, said: ‘The powers of the transport police will reflect the powers of An Garda Síochána with specific limits as to jurisdiction.’
Intimidation is also a problem beyond Dublin with one passenger reporting an incident in which a woman heckled, mocked and racially abused a group of men and women from India on a Limerick to Dublin service last year.
Irish Rail figures obtained by the Irish Daily Mail show the number of cases of intimidation on the nationwide network nearly doubled in 2017 to 117 from 64 the year before. The number of vandalism cases alone tripled to 70.
Overall, though, the figures paint an even bleaker picture.
Last year there were 407 complaints about anti-social behaviour including vandalism, assault, disorder and aggressive ‘tissue traders’ who try to sell packets of tissues. This is a 65% rise on 2016 when overall complaints about anti-social behaviour totalled 246.
Figures up to mid-June this year reveal there have 298 complaints of anti-social behaviour – indicating the number of gripes could top 600 by the time 2018 is finished.
An Irish Rail spokesman said anti-social behaviour was a societal issue and said the company was taking action.
He said: ‘We have been liaising with staff and representatives to get their insight on the issues faced from anti-social behaviour and to enhance security at key locations to ensure we maintain a safe environment for customers and staff, and ensure services are not disrupted.’
The spokesman said that on top of previous 22% increases in contracted security patrols prior to this summer, the firm has deployed an additional security team on the northside Dart in recent months.
The firm has also expanded a remote monitoring centre which covers CCTV across the Dart and putting in place some station modifications to address trespass issues, he said.
The spokesman said Irish Rail is liaising with gardaí to prepare for major events and to commit resources where there are trends of anti-social behaviour. It is also reviewing security with staff at least weekly.
Dermot O’Leary of the National Bus and Rail Union said that ‘physical and verbal assaults are order of the day’ for staff.
He said: ‘It’s a reflection of society in general at this stage. It’s across the rail system not just in the urban areas either. We’ve had occasions where people have been assaulted in Dublin, in Cork, in Mayo for example so it’s becoming more and more worrying.’
Figures for complaints this year include a notorious vandalism attack in Clongriffin Dart Station in May when masked youths carrying knives and planks held up the train for 20 minutes as they sprayed graffiti and caused thousands of euro in damage.
As a result Dart drivers have warned that they may have ‘no choice’ but to withdraw services in the north of the city during certain periods as antisocial behaviour and assaults at stations and on carriages had left them fearful for their safety.
Other incidents recorded by Irish Rail include one last April when a man allegedly punched a 15-year-old girl in the face on a train from Dublin to Westport. When the driver responded to an emergency call, he was also assaulted, it is claimed.
In December, an Irish Rail security officer was bundled into the boot of a car and beaten before he escaped. He was left ‘very, very shaken’ by the incident, Irish Rail said.
Separately, chaos broke out on
Masked youths carrying knives
the Dart after a Liam Gallagher concert at Malahide Castle on June 15 when one concert goer smashed a window and several held doors to stop the train moving.
Meanwhile, two men were arrested earlier this year by gardaí investigating an alleged attack on a signalling station in Kishoge in south Dublin when sensitive equipment was allegedly destroyed.
Irish Rail said the large majority of the 45.5million annual journeys occur without incident.
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