Behind the headlines: How Cork is fighting to restore confidence in the city centre
Gardaí outside The Cameron Bakery on St Patrick's Street in Cork after the stabbing incident on Monday, October 6. Picture: Chani Anderson
In a week where two stabbing incidents in Cork City saw three people admitted to hospital, a meeting between businesses, city council staff, and members of An Garda Síochána has taken place to discuss rising concerns about crime and antisocial behaviour in the city.
At a breakfast meeting hosted by the Cork Business Association (CBA) last week, a group spanning senior gardaí, homeless services, business representatives, and members of the council sat down to listen to what businesses are facing on the ground and the underlying factors contributing to increasingly negative feedback about the city centre.
When examined through a national lens, the crime statistics for Cork city centre are high, with the total number of crimes reported to gardaí in Anglesea Street 800% above the national average for all garda stations.
Some of this can be attributed to the fact that Cork City is the second-largest city in the country; for that reason alone, it is expected to have above-average crime statistics compared to the national average.
Naturally, there will be more theft and public order offences — the key drivers of crime in the city centre — in Cork, than in rural Offaly or on the coast of Sligo, given the prevalence of homelessness, addiction, and related social problems that are more commonly found in metropolitan areas.
That, however, can only count for so much.
Geographical factors aside, Ireland is experiencing a larger wealth gap, with increasing levels of recorded poverty and homelessness.
The number of people resorting to theft is rising, and is indicative of wider social issues that need to be addressed before crime can be meaningfully reduced.
With this in mind, concerned parties met last week to discuss practical ways to improve negative sentiment about the city centre.
Addressing a panel comprising Inspector James Hallahan of An Garda Síochána; the chief executive of the Cork Simon Community, Dermot Kavanagh; and the city centre co-ordinator at City Hall, John Hayes, the general manager of Marks & Spencer, David Long, raised concerns about antisocial behaviour in locations near outdoor pop-up soup kitchens across the city.
Separate from those run by the Cork Simon Community and other registered charities, a series of independently run food kitchens have appeared in the city in recent years, with their locations subject to frequent criticism.
Addressing Mr Long, Inspector Hallahan said that while these pop-up services were altruistic and wanted to help, members of the gardaí were aware of their locations and the issues.
“We have patrols, and we keep our eyes on them to ensure they are structured and managed correctly,” he said.
“We take the locations of these pop-ups into account and take note of the businesses on either side of them. If businesses see problems arise, the gardaí are happy to increase patrols in those areas.”
Dermot Kavanagh, who has led the Cork Simon Community for over 14 years, also addressed the issue, saying: “The Simon Community started as a soup kitchen back in 1971. I fully appreciate the warm-heartedness of people, but we took our soup kitchen indoors 13 years ago.
“It gives more dignity and is also more manageable. It would be preferable for these services to take the same path and move indoors. Eating on the side of the road is a horrible situation for anyone to find themselves in.”
City centre co-ordinator with the city council, John Hayes, agreed, adding that while people’s hearts are in the right place, these services need to be “in the right location”.
Highlighting the latest crime statistics, Inspector Hallahan said that shoplifting offences had dropped by 14% in the last three months, with a total of 365 offenders making up 568 total arrests so far this year.
While Cork ranks high for crime on the national stage, figures highlighted by Inspector Hallahan show things are going in the right direction.
The inspector also noted that, among the top 20 offenders of shoplifting in the city centre, 12 remained in custody and seven were on bail, leaving only one who the garda said now resided outside of the city.
Insp Hallahan also confirmed the community policing van, which is shared between Cork City and Kerry, would be returned to Cork at the end of October, where it will stay until January 2026.
It came amid concerns regarding large groups congregating outside certain businesses across the city centre.
Mags Connor, sales and marketing manager at the Cornstore Restaurant on Cornmarket St, told Insp Hallahan: “There is a new gang in the city that seems to love Cornmarket Street.
“We had 11 of them sitting outside the restaurant yesterday; it was daunting. While there were two gardaí on patrol standing outside our business, how are we meant to move these people on? What is your plan for this new gang?”
Insp Hallahan replied: “Moving them on means moving them somewhere else.
“Sometimes, we have the power to arrest them for committing an offence. It’s about robust targeting and making it unsafe for them so they will move on their own accord.”
The inspector also noted the four new city centre wardens, who will begin patrolling the city from next month.
Although the new appointees will not have enforcement powers like gardaí, they will be in close contact with law enforcement and other city authorities, as they aim to deter criminal and antisocial behaviour while supporting tourists, the vulnerable, and businesses.
“The primary role of the city centre warden is to deliver community assurance by providing a visible social presence across Cork City,” the event heard.
“The role of the city centre warden will include responsibility to observe and report on negative activities and liaise directly with residents, businesses, and local stakeholders, including An Garda Siochána, Cork City Council, Cork Business Association, and other organisations.”
In addition, the new community wardens, some 20 new probationary gardaí were deployed to Cork City last month, who have “hit the ground running” and have become valuable assets to the city, Mr Hallahan said.
While isolated incidents have the power to turbocharge negative perceptions of Cork City, crime figures continue to go in the right direction, and concerted efforts to enhance safety are showing to be effective. The challenge, however, is conveying this to the general public.
“There’s some really great stats showing improvement in the city, and we saw that ourselves during the summer months,” said Evelyn Moynihan, CEO of the Kilkenny Group.
“But people are scared. Many are afraid to come into the city. They have this sense that it is unsafe. How do we get that positive word out there?”
Progress is being made, and Cork City is improving. The next step is ensuring people know it.
A collection of the latest business articles and business analysis from Cork.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
