Residents fear crime surge as machete attack and open drug dealing spark concern in Wicklow estate

By Darragh McCann, The Wicklow People

Residents living near Ballywaltrim Playground in Bray, where a man died from stab wounds in January 2025, have described still feeling unsafe, amid claims of open drug dealing, anti-social behaviour and the use of electric dirtbikes.

Gardaí have confirmed the concerns of residents are receiving attention following complaints to An Garda Síochána and the Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan.

A man was allegedly attacked by a group of balaclava-clad youths armed with machetes near Ballywaltrim Playground several weeks ago.

The area around Ballywaltrim Playground and the Old Court estate, near Boghall Road, has seen an increase in anti-social behaviour in recent months, with residents claiming that open-air drug dealing and the use of electric dirtbikes has caused the area to “not feel safe to live in anymore”.

Sources believe the area has become difficult to police due to multiple exits allowing offenders to escape.

“The area needs to be looked at from a policing standpoint,” one source said, adding that “the issue is gardaí can’t pursue them.”

They further said they are aware of drug issues within the community.

“We know that drugs are being dealt left, right and centre.”

A local Garda told independent.ie that residents must report issues, adding: “We are a resource-based organisation. We have proactive patrols rather than reacting to things in an effort to catch them.”

Some of the electric dirtbikes and scrambler bikes have become a thorn in the side of gardaí, with one officer saying that “gardaí should be able to stop them, even ram them without consequence, like they used to do in London”.

One local resident said: “Just yesterday my daughter was at the playground when a man came in on a motorcycle and started driving around really fast while small children were playing. One of the dads shouted at him asking what he was doing, but he just carried on.”

A resident of nearby Cedar Court, who asked not to be identified, said they had repeatedly raised concerns with Wicklow County Council after a neighbouring property became the focus of alleged drug use.

The resident said the house was “completely smashed up” and regularly used by people taking drugs.

“It’s my home,” the resident said. “I come from a family that would hang me if they knew I wasn’t speaking up, but it’s always the fear.”

Another local resident claimed crack cocaine dealing had become commonplace in the area, despite multiple complaints being made to gardaí.

“It’s the sellers I hate,” the resident said. “They’re the ones destroying the place.”

A newer resident said that, while their own estate remains relatively quiet, trouble in the surrounding area has become an increasing concern.

“The estate itself is a good estate,” they said. “Inside the estate not much happens. It’s just outside where the problems are.

“I’ve heard from neighbours that they’ve had knocks on the door at three o’clock in the morning looking for cocaine. They had to tell them they were at the wrong estate.

“Then you have people openly dealing drugs and hanging around the playground,” the resident said.

Recalling another incident, they said: “I woke up at about two o’clock in the morning to shouting, smashing glass and people arguing about money and drugs. I rang the gardaí and they came out, but by the time they arrived everyone had gone.”

The resident said the situation had changed their family’s daily routine.

“I don’t let my pre-teen children leave the estate after 6pm because I don’t want them seeing drug deals or mixing with those people. After 6pm it genuinely feels unsafe to be out on the streets.”

They added: “I just want this to be a place where I don’t have to ask my husband to walk the dogs after eight o’clock because I don’t feel safe, and where my children can just be children.”

Residents also contacted Minister O’Callaghan over their concerns. In a response seen by independent.ie, the minister’s office said the Government remained committed to “building stronger, safer communities”, but noted that responsibility for the deployment of Garda resources rests with the Garda Commissioner.

The correspondence stated that, as of May 2026, 111 gardaí and 14 civilian staff were assigned to Bray as part of the wider Wexford/Wicklow Division, while highlighting record Garda funding of €2.74 billion in Budget 2026, including plans to recruit up to 1,000 gardaí and 200 civilian staff.

In a separate response, An Garda Síochána confirmed the concerns raised by residents were “receiving Garda attention”.

Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore said Ireland was in the grip of a drug epidemic that was devastating communities and warned that gardaí needed greater resources to tackle the problem.

“There is a drug epidemic in the country, with many families being impacted, and I don’t believe we have sufficient Garda resourcing, particularly at a local level, to deal with it,” she said.