Business people on ‘vigilante patrol’

October 1991

Worried business people in Bunclody are taking to the streets on nightly vigilante patrols to protect their town against a crime blitz. In an amazing development, shop owners disturbed by an increase in robberies are patrolling the town at night, on the look-out for criminals.

The civic crime prevention campaign began unofficially last weekend, following attaches on two business premises, and was endorsed at an emergency meeting of the Bunclody Business Association on Monday night.

Thirty business owners concerned about a lack of garda protection at night volunteered to patrol the town in pairs between the high-risk hours of 2 and 7 o’clock in the morning.

The hiring of a security firm was another option considered, but shop owners voted in favour of carrying out the job themselves.

‘It’s a pretty desperate solution all right,’ admitted Business Association secretary, Fiona Bodells. ‘It’s not seen by any of us as a long-term measure, but at the moment, we feel we have no other option.’

Bunclody has been the continuing target of criminals for several months. Numerous premises have been broken into and the culprits are believed to be outside gangs taking advantage of low security in the area.

Last week, thousands of pounds worth of clothes were taken in a raid on a local drapery shop. A newsagent was also raided for the fourth time in a few months.

Those incidents are just the latest in a long line of crimes in recent months, so now the business people have decided to take direct action to try prevent future ones.

‘At the moment, we’re afraid that if there’s no-one out there at night, other premises will be hit,’ said the secretary. ‘And it’s not just the thefts, it’s the damage that’s being caused to premises too. It costs significants amounts of money to fix or replace a window or a door, for example, and some people have had to do that more than once.’

A shortage of garda manpower has prompted the do-it-yourself approach, according to Fiona Bodells. Bunclody currently has three day-duty gardaí, and cover is provided from Gorey at night.

‘When a robbery takes place, the owner rings 999 and is put through to Gorey Garda Station, but sometimes, if they’re somewhere else at the time, it can ages for the gardaí to arrive in Bunclody,’ she said.

A further meeting of the Business Association will take place in Andy Redmond’s on Main Street next Thursday night at 8 p.m., and will be attended by members of the Garda Siochána who have been invited along to advise business people on a long-term course of action.

‘Obviously, the business people of Bunclody would prefer to be adequately protected by the law, but at the present time, that is not being done, so they have taken steps to protect themselves, their home, and their town,’ said the secretary.