A LIMERICK publican has said law and order is breaking down in the town of Newcastle West after a visiting tourist was struck by a firework lit by a gang of unruly youths.
Gearoid Whelan, proprietor of Whelan’s Bar in Newcastle West, also complained there was little to no Garda presence on the streets of the county town.
Mr Whelan called on local Fine Gael Minister Patrick O’Donovan, as well as Garda Headquarters, and the Minister for Justice to take swift action against the wave of anti-social behaviour by underage gangs.
Mr Whelan shared a video online of the firework being fired at a crowd of German tourists who were waiting to board a bus in the town last Saturday night (September 30).
The publican said he was “embarrassed” at the violent scene in which “a busload of people after visiting our town in their 60/70s were attacked by this mob with fireworks”.
He tweeted: “Newcastle West town is getting lawless because of bad policing from the top down, from ministers to inspectors and guards that don’t care about the town.”
The video drew widespread anger online, with one person responding: “I was driving near your bar last night and two lads fighting they nearly went under my wheels … madness.”
Mr Whelan claimed in another tweet that there was “absolutely 0 Garda presence in the town”.
A local source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a group of local teenagers were “terrorising” the town all year round.
“The firework was fired into the middle of a group of tourists, it actually hit one of them, they got a major fright,” the source said.
“It shouldn’t be happening, it’s disgraceful, they were all elderly. That rocket hit a person, they jumped on the bus and ran for their lives.”
When asked about the incident, Mr Whelan told the Limerick Post: “I’ve been assured something positive is going to happen, but I do have a major issue with anti-social behaviour in Newcastle West.”
“We have a fine town with lots to offer and these little s–ts are basically driving people out of it and there aren’t enough Gardaí.”
Reacting to the video, a local man tweeted: “Be plenty politicians around town this weekend for the festival, might be no harm for them to witness this for themselves.”
“Town is lawless. I know plenty who now go out early so they get home early instead of their usual times. Sad reflection on NCW.”
Another man said requests for a more visible garda presence “fell on deaf ears” and that, in his opinion, the town “will be like a war zone come Halloween, like last year”.
Last Halloween, chair of the local joint policing committee, Cllr Adam Teskey, appealed for more Garda resources after violent scenes were filmed in the town and shared on social media, including footage of youths upturning cars and shooting fireworks wheelie bins and vehicles.
When asked for comment about the current wave of anti-social behaviour in the town, OPW Minister Patrick O’Donovan replied: “I spoke to Gardaí in Newcastle West a number of times about this incident and it is being actively investigated. I would encourage anyone with any knowledge of the incident or CCTV footage in the area to please provide it to the Guards.”
Another man feed up with the present state of Garda resources in Newcastle West, tweeted: “There should be Gardaí walking the streets every night, heavier presence on weekends. Baffling there aren’t 2 cops strolling around the town all night at the weekends, might deter some of the little p—ks causing trouble and intimidating people.”
Mr Whelan responded by tweeting that he had been asking the authorities to react to the situation “for ages” but that he got “no response”.
Local councillor Emmett O’Brien replied to Mr Whelan in a tweet: “Don’t waste your breath. The Government have nothing but contempt for the people.”
When contacted, Cllr O’Brien said: “Newcastle West happens to have a Minister for the OPW who is in charge of building Garda stations, so I’m surprised he hasn’t sorted it out. It’s most peculiar that a Garda station hasn’t been built yet, despite numerous launches. The Great Wall of China was built faster that that place.”
When asked if Gardaí planned to provide more resources in the town, a Garda spokesman replied that “An Garda Síochána’s ongoing policy is to not provide detailed comment on specific operational capacity in any geographic location as to do so would inform and potentially embolden criminal elements”.
“An Garda Síochána is not making any further comment for operational and security reasons,” the spokesman concluded.
