Halloween ‘chaos’ in Limerick town not due to lack of gardai
GARDAI have confirmed that the “chaos” on Halloween night in Newcastle West was not because of a lack of resources, but was due to guards being deployed to a fatal accident.
Scenes on the night in question were likened to The Purge as gangs of teens toppled a car, smashed windscreens and set off screamers in The Square in the town.
Several videos of the incident were posted on social media with gardai responding to three separate incidents on the night.
One teenager appeared in court charged with criminal damage arising from an incident on the night during which a parked car was overturned.
A total of 11 gardai and one sergeant were on duty for the Newcastle West garda district that evening however, seven of these were sent to the scene of a fatal collision in Rathkeale.
A nationwide policing plan, Operation Tombola, was in effect on October 31 which focused on the prevention and detection of the sale of fireworks and associated public order and anti-social behaviour issues.
For this reason, overtime had been sanctioned for a number of gardai however, these extra resources were then needed at the incident in Rathkeale.
Sergeant Bob Fitzsimmons told a meeting of the Joint Policing Committee that if the seven guards who attended the accident were available, the events in Newcastle West “wouldn't have happened”.
“We had to close the station and get the car out. It all happened within the space of a few hours, from about 7pm to 9pm”, he added.
When asked if utilising garda reserves would have helped the situation, Sergeant Fitzsimmons said it would not.
Garda reserves are volunteers who are not required to work if asked.
They also have little powers with regards to arrests and intervening in incidents. They must also be accompanied by a member of An Garda Siochana.