‘CIRCUIT OF TERROR’ WILL BE TACKLED
A JOINT POLICING COMMITTEE MEETING HEARD HOW PEOPLE LIVING IN LOCAL ESTATES ARE AFRAID TO ALLOW CHILDREN TO GO OUT TO PLAY DUE TO RECKLESS DRIVING AT ALL HOURS OF THE DAY. BUT GARDAI AND THE LOCAL AUTHORITY HAVE VOWED TO TACKLE THE ISSUE. HUBERT MURPHY RE
DROGHEDA gardai are to use Opera ti o n Thor to tackle a group of drivers terrorising estates on the town’s southside. Cllr David Saurin said those involved in the ongoing incidents regarded themselves as ‘ untouchable’.
Over the last four months, areas of Rathmullen, St Finian’s Park and Ballsgrove have been plagued with joyriders racing up and down the streets and grass areas, seemingly oblivious to the law and without any regard for locals, young and old.
The number of drivers is small and most are not from the estates concerned.
But the matter has become so serious, it led to a sometimes emotive debate at the local Policing Committee meeting in Millmount, attended by the council and gardai.
‘ There has been unbridled lawlessness in this area for four months. I would not call it ‘joyriding’, it’s more like ‘ terror riding,’ Cllr Paul Bell stated, adding that he feared an innocent child will be killed.
‘ This is happening at 3pm in the afternoon and the local people feel the gardai and the council don’t have a co-ordinated approach to this.
‘A small number are doing what they see fit, speeding, handbrake skids and damaging property.
‘I was told one person was stopped by gardai and told to go on his way and the car he was in seized.
‘ These people are under siege. We have to consider bollards or heavy ramping, but we need physical barriers to stop this.
‘When there is a loss of life or someone is maimed, we’ll be held accountable for what we didn’t do. We have to come together to eliminate this.
‘ The community will lose faith in us. There is no nice way of saying it, but people are afraid to talk to the council and gardai, where they weren’t before. This has been put up to us now,’ he added.
He said the issues were not unique to Drogheda and were tackled in other places.
‘ There is a straight at Finian’s Park that’s like Brand’s Hatch, being used as a racetrack, a circuit of terror.
He said ramping in Ballsgrove had been there since 2005 and it worked
Cllr Joanna Byrne explained that she had the engineering department in Rathmullen last September and put forward the idea of ramps.
But it was felt that they would be used as a ‘ toy’ rather than as a preventative measure and the council ‘ put a line under it.’
She said kids can’t go out to play now.
Cllr David Saurin said people in the area were ‘ terrified’ and he had obtained a video of what was ‘ happening in broad daylight’ by people who had no regard for the consequences of their actions.
He said people become frustrated if the authorities are being seen as ‘ toothless’ and said those involved see themselves as ‘ untouchable’.
The chairman of the Policing Committee, Kenneth Flood, said he did feel that people had a sense of being ‘abandoned’ - not helped by no Neighbourhood Watch.
Deputy Fergus O’Dowd said a special meeting to plan a strategy, followed by discussions with the residents, should take place..
‘When it gets dark, this will become even worse. Maybe chicanes could be used to slow ddown cars.’
Ultimately, he felt a community approach was the only way forward, giving people a sense oof local identity again, maybe ssomething that had gone.
‘I was in St Oliver’s CC for 20 yyears and we never had even a window broken. It is hugely important to be interact with tthe community on projects, give tthe young people ownership of ttheir area.’
Cllr Richie Culhane called for Operation Thor to be employed to target those involved as ‘people have a right to a peaceful time’.
He said a ‘ handful of people’ were making life hell for others.
For Superintendent Andrew Watters, his experience in working in areas like Ballymun is likely to have an impact.
‘It’s down to a strong Garda and Council approach to address the issues.
‘I’m going to put additional resources into it as it is a significant problem.
‘It is time for the Policing Committee to stand up and take a joint stand on this.
‘I am disappointed to hear that people feel they can’t talk to the gardai, but action has been taken up there and we seized 17 cars.’
But he said the vehicles are being bought cheaply and driven around with no tax or insurance.
He did say that bollards ‘ had to be considered’ and he wanted to see a 30km/h limit introduced.
He said it presently stands at 50km/h which was too quick for the roads in that area.
He said the incidents would be getting attention under Operation Thor, but he was keen to point out that they have other issues and areas as well, including Moneymore/Castlemanor and The Dale.
Paddy Donnelly from Louth CC said that the council were working on the issues, but felt that ‘ramps are not the answer to everything’.
In areas where ramps have gone in, they have proved challenging for bikes and mobility scooters and some have had to be removed as a result. ‘ They impact on the lawabiding locals who use these roads too,’ he warned.
The council had also seen ramps being used as a ‘ toy’ by joyriders.