Claim that drug dealers are using bollards to their advantage in Kildare
Photo for illustrative purposes only
IT HAS been claimed that bollards are making it harder for gardaí to apprehend suspected drug dealers in Naas town.
Cllr Seamie Moore told a recent meeting that drug dealers are trading adjacent to bollards and “whichever way the patrol cars come, they hop to the other side”.
Cllr Moore brought forward a motion at the most recent meeting of Naas Municipal District proposing that the council invite gardaí to a special meeting with councillors to address concerns that bollards ‘on routes from Poolpluck Bridge to Canal Road, via Abbey Street and Basin Street’ are making it more difficult for patrol cars to catch people involved in drug trafficking and drug dealing.
Senior executive officer Tony Shanahan issued the council’s response, which stated that the council previously approved a motion at its May full council meeting calling for private operational briefings between councillors and an Garda Síochána to discuss local policing issues.
The council wrote to the Chief Superintendent of the Kildare/Carlow Garda Division on 26 May ‘seeking consideration’ for the request.
The council said that it was still waiting for a response at the time of the meeting on 14 July and would follow up with gardaí.
The local authority said any future briefings would need to take account of Garda operational requirements.
However, the council’s response did not directly address the issue of bollards.
The extent of concern about drugs in the area was highlighted by the fact that there were two motions on the agenda related to the matter.
Cllr Fintan Brett proposed that the council arrange quarterly private briefing sessions between councillors and gardaí ‘to discuss ongoing anti-social behaviour and drug related issues in our municipal district’.
The council gave the same response to cllr Brett as they did to cllr Moore.
Speaking at the meeting, cllr Brett expressed his dissatisfaction with the reality that private quarterly meetings between councillors and Gardaí no longer take place, saying that they had been productive and efficient.
Cllr Moore said that he was pleased with the council’s report.
He said that the problem of drug dealing “is getting out of hand in Naas” and that local parents “are very, very worried”.
He alleged that “the culprits in question” are “trading adjacent to the bollards” and that “whichever way the patrol cars come, they hop to the other side”.
Mayor Bill Clear said that after speaking to a senior Garda, he feels that “there is a huge reluctance now from Gardai themselves to discuss anything” with councillors or anyone outside An Garda Síochána.
He expressed his view that this is a legacy of Drew Harris’ tenure as Garda Commissioner.
Cllr Moore praised what he has noticed a change in policy from gardaí, who “are clamping down on low-level dealers, whereas one time they were using the low-level dealers to work their way up to the main dealers”.
