Fianna Fáil councillor says Dublin is becoming safer after city centre stabbing

Forensic officers on Clarendon Street, Dublin, after a man died following an assault. Picture:  Niall Carson/PA Wire.

Dublin is becoming "a much safer city", a local representative has claimed in the wake of a fatal stabbing over the bank holiday weekend. 

Fianna Fáil councillor Rory Hogan was commenting after a 21-year-old man, Qayyum Balogun, died following an assault in Dublin City centre in the early hours of Monday morning.

He said it was a "deeply disturbing incident and one that nobody wants to see occurring on the streets of Dublin" and Mr Hogan called for anyone who had information to contact the gardaí.

When asked if he believed Dublin was safe, Mr Hogan said he did, adding that because of the high visibility policing actions and changes that have occurred in recent years, the gardaí were on the scene within minutes.

“The gardaí have done the best job that's possible to be done, and they were there within minutes. They were providing assistance shortly after the incident occurred. So I do believe Dublin is a safe city," he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.

Mr Hogan acknowledged it was difficult to believe that the city was safe when incidents like this occurred. 

“When incidents like these occur, we need to be sure to separate the emotional reaction to an incident like this to the overall statistics.

“The overall crime statistics in Dublin is down year on year, and Dublin is becoming a much safer city than what it was a number of years ago. And I would commend the gardaí for the actions that they've taken to reduce the crime statistics in Dublin," Mr Horgan said.

The incident will be discussed at the next meeting of the Dublin South East Local Community Safety Partnership (LCSP), of which he is a member.

“We need to understand whether there are any wider lessons to be learned and whether additional measures are needed to improve the safety in the area. The LCSP is a meeting with multiple agencies and multiple representatives of the community. And I think that's not necessarily the Garda on their own needs action, but sometimes there might be a multi-pronged approach to tackling this issue.” 

Mr Hodan said the "overwhelming majority of young people in Dublin are law-abiding and make positive contributions in their communities". 

"And it's also important to note that while serious incidents do occur, they remain relatively uncommon and the overall crime trends have been improving in many areas.” 

Mr Hogan said the LCSP was a forum where the community could engage with the gardaí and where issues of concern could be flagged.

“One of the things that the LCSP is doing, has trialled in the North Inner City, is community safety wardens. It started in 2022 in the North Inner City and it's basically a proactive and supportive approach to de-escalating events that traditionally lead to crises like this.”

As part of the investigation into the assault, gardaí are examining CCTV footage to try and identify the perpetrator.

They also want to identify members of a group that chased him down after a row broke out at a club event on Grafton St in the early hours of Monday.

Mr Balogun, aged 21, is from Nigeria but has been living in Ireland for some time. Gardaí have been in contact with family members.

Gardaí are investigating reports that the victim tried to flee his attackers but that they pursued him and cornered him on nearby Clarendon St.

It is understood he was stabbed three times.