Almost 1,000 public order arrests this year as Waterford Gardaí target anti-social behaviour
Residents in Spring Garden Alley in Waterford city centre previously raised concerns over anti-social behaviour.
Almost 1,000 people have been arrested for public order or social co-offences in Waterford over the last 12 months, as Gardaí target anti-social behaviour and public order offences.
Superintendent Laurence Sheahan, answering a public question at a recent Waterford Local Community Safety Partnership meeting, said 979 people have been arrested on public order-related offences over the last 12 months, a "significant" number.
"I will say that An Garda Síóchána in Waterford are very, very productive in dealing with issues pertaining to public order and social co-offences," he added.
The question put to the superintendent was a pre-submitted and vetted question by an inner-city resident who said the number of teenagers aged 12 to 16 roaming the city centre in gangs, intimidating "everyone they encounter up to 11pm at night" is terrifying.
"What are the Gardaí and TUSLA doing about these kids?" they asked, "As it is very obvious they are from families with no parental control or adult supervision."
In response, Superintendent Sheahan said, "I'd like to say that the vast majority of young people who visit and migrate through the city do so without engaging in any form of anti-social behaviour.
"Our city is a shared space for all our citizens to enjoy, including our young people, our elderly, our business communities, our social communities."
On how the Gardaí deal with instances of anti-social behaviour from teenage gangs, he highlighted their close relationships with TUSLA and with the WLSCP on youth projects.
"The last thing An Garda Síochána wants to do is criminalise young people," the superintendent said, "If we criminalise young people, as a society we fail. So our job is to engage with young people and provide them with an alternative."
"And I would like to think in Waterford, through our youth diversion projects, through our gardaí youth diversion officers, through our engagement with our community policing teams, we are really successful at that, but that doesn't mean that we ignore anti-social behaviour.
"Because the figures clearly show that we don't."
He also referenced the recently announced High Visibility Beats Initiative, and allocation of 32 new gardaí for the city, as a deterrent for anti-social behaviour in the city centre.
Waterford Local Community Safety Partnership recently secured new funding for proactive initiatives aimed at giving young people an opportunity to "hang out together safely and in a purposeful way", Chair of WLCSP Sean Aylward said in response to the question.
Waterford City and County Council have responded "very vigorously" to recommendations the partnership have proposed, he added, including an "extensive facility in the northwest suburbs", Treo Phort Láirge's e-scooter safe use scheme and the new outreach programme between the council and WLCSP in St Paul's Boxing Club.
Mr Aylward also highlighted the recently allocated funding for an initiative aimed at reaching out to young Travellers, "some of whom have been noted to be dangerously abusing sulkies on the roads, or horses, roaming through estates."
"These are all things that can be addressed and managed if you're willing to reach out a hand," he added, highlighting the importance of "reaching out to young people and ensuring them that there are other ways of having fun and using up their energy purposefully."
Jacinta Dowling, of TUSLA, was also asked to respond to the question, to which she said TUSLA are obliged to investigate or assess all reports from An Garda Síochána relating to matters with children.
They engage directly with families, she said, and have interagency protocols between TUSLA and An Garda Síochána where they would inform Gardaí of any referrals received.
