‘Residents don’t care which agency owns the problem’ in call for action on anti-social behaviour - Clare Echo

CLARE councillors have called for greater coordination between State agencies and Clare County Council when dealing with serious cases of anti-social behaviour and criminality. A notice of motion from Cllrs David Griffin (FF), Antoinette Baker Bashua (FF), Pat Hayes (FF) and Ian Lynch (IND) called for a countywide anti-social behaviour and criminality taskforce involving the … ‘Residents don’t care which agency owns the problem’ in call for action on anti-social behaviour Read More »

CLARE councillors have called for greater coordination between State agencies and Clare County Council when dealing with serious cases of anti-social behaviour and criminality.

A notice of motion from Cllrs David Griffin (FF), Antoinette Baker Bashua (FF), Pat Hayes (FF) and Ian Lynch (IND) called for a countywide anti-social behaviour and criminality taskforce involving the council’s Housing team, senior management in the Municipal Districts, An Garda Síochána, Tusla and the HSE.

The proposed taskforce wou ld consider cases involving anti-social behaviour, criminality, illegal encampments and activities and drug offences, meeting monthly to progress serious complaints and individual cases towards resolution.

However, Clare County Council said existing structures were already in place, while acknowledging that the issues were “increasing in scale and become more difficult to address in many communities”.

The council said An Garda Síochána is the principal agency for dealing with anti-social behaviour, criminality, illegal activities and drug offences, while the local authority leads in areas including anti-social behaviour on council estates and illegal encampments.

A cross-directorate council team involving Housing, Planning, Environment and all Municipal Districts deals with illegal encampments and unauthorised developments involving caravans or mobile homes on public land and roads.

The council said the team was currently working on matters in “a few locations in eight towns and villages across three Municipal Districts”, with several cases progressing through the legal system.

It said the proposed taskforce was not considered appropriate on “structural, legal, procedural or operational grounds”, particularly where it would become involved in individual cases or the progression of criminal matters.

The council instead pointed to the recently established Local Community Safety Partnership (LCSP), which brings together elected representatives, State agencies, the local authority and community organisations to develop a Local Community Safety Plan for Clare.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Griffin said the response might make it appear that the councillors and council were “on two different pages”, but argued they agreed on the scale of the problem.

“But our proposal is about strengthening and connecting that work when a case becomes particularly serious or complex,” he said.

“Residents do not care which agency technically owns the problem. They only care that the problem is addressed,” he said.

Cllr Baker Bashua said there were appropriate structures in place but called for a focus on finding solutions and ensuring agencies worked together.

Cllr Pat Hayes said there was “no one big solution” and that the existing system needed to be examined, adding that cases needed to be “brought forward and managed quicker”.

Cllr Lynch (IND) said he was disappointed by the response and referred to situations where matters “fall through the cracks” when different agencies are involved.

Cllr Tommy Guilfoyle (SF) described the response as “unfortunate” and said the motion demonstrated how society was changing, arguing that “laws land behind the issues society faces”.

Cllr Tony Mulcahy (FG) supported the motion and said that if someone committed an offence in a council property, “we should endeavour to have them evicted”.

Cllr Claire Colleran Molloy (FF) said she had received a WhatsApp video that day showing what she described as serious criminal activity in an Ennis estate.

She said An Garda Síochána had attended within three minutes, describing it as a positive example, but added that this was “not always the case”.

Responding at the meeting, Director of Services Alan Farrell said a coordinated response was required but cautioned that care was needed around agencies’ respective statutory responsibilities.

He said the council would look at holding a workshop, while highlighting the strategic role of the Local Community Safety Partnership.

Concluding the debate, Cllr Griffin said the purpose of the motion was not to “co-opt” law enforcement but to improve communication between agencies.

He said not enough information was being shared between agencies and that residents and councillors could find themselves being sent from one agency to another.

“They go around like a ping pong ball between all the agencies,” he said.

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