'Gang of marauding youths' terrorising this Kildare town
Fianna Fáil Senator Fiona O'Loughlin said Newbridge has been the subject of increased antisocial behaviour
A Kildare senator has called for action on a gang of “marauding youths” whom she claims are terrorising Newbridge, Co Kildare on a regular basis.
According to Fianna Fáil Senator Fiona O'Loughlin, who spoke on the issue in the Seanad recently, youths are engaging in wide-ranging antisocial behaviour in Newbridge, including vandalism, theft and intimidation.
“In recent weeks and months, we have been subject to the actions of what I can only describe as a gang of marauding youths, some of whom are as young as ten”, Senator O'Loughlin told the Seanad.
“It is very concerning to see boys of that age, and they are all boys, being part of a peer group that is constantly engaged in behaviour that includes vandalism, intimidation, harassment, shoplifting and egging cars and buildings.
“It is particularly difficult for women walking on their own. They are being targeted. In recent times a woman with a small baby was targeted. I am aware of instances where they have gone into shops. There is a new small business open on Station Road at The Nook. They have robbed from it and harassed the shop owner there in the first few weeks of the business opening.”
The gang have also targeted delivery drivers and specific estates, Senator O'Loughlin pointed out, and in particular new estates close to the railway station.
In one commercial premises, she said, there were some young ladies inside and the gang tried to force open the door.
The matter was “very concerning”, the Senator said, and has been escalating.
“The Garda has been very good and I have been liaising with it quite a bit. Two gardaí have been put on the beat constantly. That is certainly helping but the Garda is concerned, with its resources, that it will not be able to keep that up.
“One of my asks is that we look at having gardaí constantly on the beat. We also need plain clothes gardaí in particular around the Whitewater Shopping Centre and some of those areas which are a constant draw for these groups.”
Senator O'Loughlin said that while response from the gardai was important, there also needed to be societal change and a business response.
Many local businesses have joined a WhatsApp group so that they alert one another when an issue arises, she said.
The Fianna Fáil senator said there was also a need for a community-led response, and added that some, but not all of the problem was down to “bad parenting.”
“We need to see where society can step in and help parents in that case. We also need more youth outreach. Kildare County Council bought a premises for young people as a drop-in centre.
“We need something that will engage, particularly between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. when these young boys have left school and before they go home for dinner. We need a community-led response working with the local authorities and the Garda.”