Balaclava-wearing teenagers engaging in anti-social behaviour in Waterford
Teens are purportedly leaving rubbish in fields in Waterford City.
Residents from various neighbourhoods in Waterford have expressed their concerns over a recent increase in anti-social behaviour.
Up to 40 people gathered at the Woodlands Hotel on Friday evening, July 26 to share their concerns and experiences.
Attendees spoke about recent experiences encountering groups of teenagers, roughly between the ages of 14-18, across different estates in the east of the city.
Witnesses described encountering teens wearing balaclavas, trespassing into their back gardens, destroying flowerbeds, smearing dog waste and walking on garden walls.
Residents also revealed that groups of young people are camping in nearby fields and leaving behind discarded alcohol cans, cigarette buds and human faeces.
One man spoke about a recent experience he had walking his dog near an estate on the Dunmore Road, and witnessing a group of teens running away into the nearby woods after throwing a brick into a passenger window of a car.
Another man said of confronting the groups: "There is always one or two who want to stand out from the crowd; they will egg your house, they'll break stuff, they'll call you nasty, nasty names."
Local Councillors Adam Wyse (Fianna Fáil) and David Daniels Jnr (Ind) were in attendance at the meeting.
Cllr Wyse said: “Unfortunately there have been a few incidents in the last week on Dunmore Road."
At the meeting, the majority of residents agreed that the ongoing summer holidays play a factor in the incrase of anti-social incidents.
A community Garda officer urged people to report any incident of anti-social behaviour to An Garda Síochána, and stressed that unreported incidents cannot be logged to show the true extent of problems in the area.
He also cautioned the use of community WhatApps and Facebook and its potential to spread misinformation: "As great as they are for spreading the word, they can misconstrue things."
Several attendees spoke about the lack of facilities for young people in the summer months, and how this dearth of resources may be impacting the issue.
Findings from the meeting will be passed along to the Garda Superintendent for further review. A follow-up meeting is mooted for this coming September.
