Twelfth weekend influx needs dedicated policing plan
A Donegal councillor has called for the weekend around the 12th of July to be recognised as a major policing event following scenes of disruption in Downings.
Last weekend saw heavy traffic, antisocial behaviour, public order concerns and litter problems in the seaside village.
Gardaí restricted vehicular access to Downings Beach and its car park over the weekend due to the large volume of traffic in the area.
Cllr Meehan said the problems in Downings should now prompt wider discussions involving the relevant agencies and the local community.
“I'm also calling for a more coordinated response going forward between the council and An Garda Síochána around antisocial behaviour and public order issues, which we saw a huge number of, particularly in Downings,” he said.
"It's about trying to engage with all stakeholders, including the town team that's there and the community in Downings, to ensure that this sort of disruption doesn't happen on the same scale again and to try and mitigate against as much damage as possible.”
The latest concerns come with further busy summer weekends and events still ahead.
“Time is of the essence," said Cllr Meehan.
"We need to use the momentum that's there now, particularly in the community, to actually address this and to bring the stakeholders together to ensure that there isn't a repeat of this, either over the festival in Downings or over the other bank holiday weekends.”
This article is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme