"In a report seen by the Irish Independent, Dublin City Council (DCC) senior parks and landscape officer Deirdre Prince said staff were "increasingly confronted with serious anti-social and hazardous behaviour". "The escalation in aggressive conduct, the overt visibility of drug dealing and the discovery or concealment of weapons within park grounds have contributed to a growing sense of fear and vulnerability among staff," she wrote."
"The incidents were in Diamond Park, Wolfe Tone Park, Mountjoy Square, St Patrick's Park, St Kevin's Park, Cabbage Patch, Bridgefoot Street Park, St Aud­oen's Park and St Catherine's Park. Bridgefoot Street Park, which opened in 2022, had the highest level of anti-social behaviour of any location, registering one incident a day for all of August. The report noted "persistent and serious" anti-social behaviour there, including drug dealing, drug and alcohol use, gas inhalation and aggressive behaviour towards staff in the park's cafe."
Staff working in Dublin City Council parks face increasing anti‑social and hazardous behaviour, including aggressive conduct, visible drug dealing and the discovery or concealment of weapons, which has heightened fear and vulnerability among staff. One hundred and thirty anti‑social disturbances occurred across nine city centre parks in July and August. Affected locations include Diamond Park, Wolfe Tone Park, Mountjoy Square, St Patrick's Park, St Kevin's Park, Cabbage Patch, Bridgefoot Street Park, St Audoen's Park and St Catherine's Park. Bridgefoot Street Park recorded daily incidents throughout August, with persistent narcotics‑related activity, drug and alcohol use, gas inhalation and aggression towards cafe staff. Several playgrounds were extensively damaged and newly installed toilets at St Anne's Park were set on fire in October. Increased Garda presence is required to ensure safety for staff and the public.
Read at Irish Independent
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]