Council vows to get tough on vandals
At least six council-owned homes have been damaged by fire in the past weeks alone.
A new anti-social behaviour unit will be up and running in the city within the next fortnight and the new officer will be making tackling the attacks a priority.
Pensioner Michael Ryan woke on Sunday morning to hear his dog barking frantically. But for the pet, he fears he could have been overcome by smoke from his daughter’s house which was on fire next door in Priory Lawn. Fortunately, she was away for the night.
Thugs had thrown something flammable through a downstairs window and the house was alight within minutes. The house next door to his daughter’s, which was boarded up, had been burnt out on a previous occasion.
“I live on my own and woke at 6am to hear the dog barking. When I opened my eyes there was smoke coming from somewhere. The smoke was coming from my daughter’s house next door. But for the dog, I might not have woken at all,” he said.
City official Paul Ryan says the council has around 50 boarded-up houses but many of these will be addressed as part of a major regeneration project under way in the Ballybeg, Clonard Park, Ardmore Park and Priory Lawn areas.
But he said six of these homes have been targeted by vandals in the past few weeks.
“We simply don’t have enough steel windows and doors to blockade up these houses,” he said.
The new anti-social behaviour officer will be liaising with gardaí on such vandalism and other issues, he added. “In many cases, residents know who is doing this. But they are intimidated by the people, fearing they will be the focus of their attack.
“But the new officer will have the power to act under legislation and get these people evicted from the estates. Hopefully, when the unit is up and running, we will be able to make progress on the issue,” he said.
Local councillor Tom Murphy raised the issue yesterday in the course of a debate on disused houses on local radio station WLR FM. “One of the houses damaged over the weekend was a house which was upgraded. Someone was living there. The gardaí are investigating the fire.
“But I’m very concerned. It’s costing the taxpayer and there’s something wrong with the system when houses are being boarded up and people are still getting into them.”
Mr Murphy says it’s time to get tough on such vandalism.
“The law doesn’t seem to be strong enough to put people away. We can’t disturb people who are trying to do their best for the community. 99% of the people of Ballybeg are decent, honest people. But we have to do something to address the 1% who are creating havoc and giving the place a bad name.
“The new unit will be a great help, as will CCTV which is also on the way,” he said.
