Businesses urge crackdown on casual trading

CORK’S business leaders have called for a Garda clampdown on casual traders and so-called “charity muggers”.

The Cork Business Association also wants a US-style community court to be piloted in the city to mete out swift justice for those convicted of minor offences and anti-social behaviour.

The calls come after several city centre traders raised concerns with the association about people collecting for charity, lottery sellers, and people playing music and selling items like roses and balloons on the streets outside their shops.

They questioned whether the people had the right to conduct such business in the city centre.

Donal Healy, chief executive of the business association, wrote to garda chiefs expressing these concerns and calling for a crackdown. They said in response that gardaí on the beat are briefed to deal with this issue and where offences are detected, people are prosecuted.

Gardaí said there have been several prosecutions for breaches of the Casual Trading Act.

But Mr Healy said a survey of his members shows that they want to see more gardaí on the beat to crack down on this behaviour. He also raised the issue with Minister of State Eamon Ó Cuiv, who has responsibility for legislation in this area.

Several changes have been included in a draft bill on the licensing of charity collectors.

Mr Healy attended a National Business Association meeting recently which was told that the bill will not become law until later this year at the earliest.

He said in the meantime, garda authorities need to enforce the law which stipulates that casual trading can only occur in the Cornmarket Street area of Cork.

Mr Healy also wrote to Cllr Dara Murphy, chairman of the city’s joint policing committee forum, calling for a debate about setting up community courts to deal with anti-social behaviour offences like public drinking, disorderly conduct, threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour and criminal damage.

People arrested for such offences would appear before the court within 24 hours. Anyone convicted of such crimes are given community service.

The concept began in America in 1989 and was introduced in Liverpool, England in 2004.

It has reduced the levels of such crime by 16% in the US.