RUDE TEEN ROGUES RUINING RIVERSTOWN RESIDENTS ROUTINES

A small group of teenagers prowling the streets of Riverstown (and sometimes Sallybrook) on evenings and weekends are causing havoc for local residents.

Boys and girls, some as young as 8 and up to 15 years old are involved in “aggressive and sustained anti social behaviour,” leading to calls for more garda resources for the area.

One local resident who was too fearful to be named, said the youngsters often congregate at his estate (Crestfield Downs) on weekend nights drinking WKD and smashing bottles, listening to blaring loud music, making wanking noises and robbing wheelie bins.

WKD Blue - drunk ironically by youths

“Every Saturday night, they just appear, It is getting out of hand and frankly quite frightening,” he said timidly.

A small group of about 30 boys and girls ranging from 8 to 15-years-of-age seem to be those creating problems for locals.

“They are abusive to residents, drinking, being noisy and showing no respect to anyone when they are chastised, even when foul language is used back against them!,” said Glanmire Civic Councillor Nick Goggins.

“They move around the estates and people using the footpath feel intimidated by them,” he said. “Off the record, there’s at least one resident I know of, who is planning on doing something extreme about it” Cvc Cllr Goggins teased.

Cvc Cllr Goggins called for a greater garda presence in the area and for parents to be aware of where their children are and what they are doing at any, all and every time.

“I saw one parent dropping her daughter off to join this group one evening, bold as brass, and you should’ve seen what she had on her.”Goggins confessed ruefully.

“I have met with our Community Gardai, written to our Superintendent and requested greater Garda presence in the area and in particular foot patrols” Goggins stated.

Much has been done over the years by Súgartha and Riverstown Young-Youth Club to try and attract some of these teenagers, but the young people involved in the anti-social behavior have flat out refused to join these clubs.

“We have many many clubs and associations in Riverstown where they could get involved. So the argument I get of ‘there’s nothing to do in Riverstown’ is out of sync as to what’s happening.”

“To be quite clear this is only a tiny minority of our total younger population who in general go about their daily life in an exemplary and unimpeachable manner,” Cvc Cllr Goggins backtracked.

Riverstown resident and coming local election candidate hopeful, Deborah Gladly-Smith said the youths were “stalking and skulking through the streets in the evenings and weekends, targeting homes and individuals by throwing missiles at cars and property.” The acts of ‘keying’ cars and damaging property seems to be the modus operandi of the scallywags in question, who also engage in nuisance door knocking (known colloquially knock-a-dolly), as well as aggressive and intimidatory behaviour.

“Many young children and families are simply petrified to be out on the streets in the evening at weekends.” as they are vulnerable to the threat of intimidation, throw-downs or even dance-offs from these gangs of individuals. “I have been a victim of this myself, with my own car and that of my neighbours’ being keyed recently and suffering extensive damage.”

Hazelwood car victim “keyed”

She called for greater Garda resourcing to be provided to county Cork in general as a matter of urgency.

“The Lower North Cork City East Garda district has a similar population to that of Riverstown (and Glanmire) and yet it has less than half the number of Gardaí in situ,” Gladly-Smith reasoned.

“People have a right to feel safe in their homes and in their communities. The State has a role to play in ensuring this. We need a visible Garda presence on the ground and possible aerily also, and the appropriate resources put behind them to tackle this issue head on, failing that, I would not oppose a small military presence in our town.”

a glimpse into Riverstown’s future?

Cvc Cllr Nick Goggins piped up again to say that parents need to talk to their children and to encourage them to get involved with some of the fantastic facilities in Riverstown including the GAA and soccer clubs, the many polo clubs, along with brownies, beavers, badgers, otters, power bears and scouts.

Supt Cormac Monroe of Cork City Centre Policing Unit said that they deploy gardai to Riverstown whenever they can, (also letting slip that it was known as a “dreaded fucking shift” amongst his officers) particularly when school is finishing and Friday and Saturday nights when the problems (the rude children) are at their naughtiest.

He said they are putting more emphasis on foot patrols in Riverstown.