Bohernabreena cemetery to be closed to vehicles at night due to rise in criminal activity
Bohernabreena cemetery in south county Dublin is to be closed to vehicles at night due to a rise in criminal activity.
A local area meeting for South Dublin County Council accepted a motion to close the cemetery to vehicular traffic at night due to criminal activity and offenders trespassing into neighbouring properties.
Independent councillor Alan Edge, who introduced the motion, said: “The cemetery is essentially a hot spot for anti-social behaviour.
“Driving home that way, at least once a week, there are always gardaí in attendance.
“It’s not an isolated case, I’ve had a number of residents who have said they have seen people prowling in their gardens at night.
“When gardaí disrupt the anti-social behaviour, the prowlers often decamp into people’s surrounding gardens, and this includes the homes of older people living alone.”
After the motion was agreed, council management said the new opening and closing times will be in effect at the earliest opportunity, and the gates to the cemetery would be automated.
Gates to the cemetery will be closed off after 5 or 6pm during winter, and 8 or 9pm in the summer months.
Fianna Fáil councillor Emma Murphy said the proposed timings would not make a difference to the people who are looking to visit the area out of respect.
“If the gates are closed at 5pm, there will still be a good bit of activity,” she said.
“Particularly in the summer evenings, people walk into the cemetery through the boardwalk in the area. It’s a place of respect and it should be treated like that,” she said.
“It should be a safe space for people to grieve their family members, their friends and loved ones without the fear of any sort of criminal activity or negative activity.”
Cllr Murphy added that the new rules could be used as a test case for similar areas where they had observed a rise in criminal activity.
“We’ve all seen a rise in the incidence of criminal activity and it’s the right time to bring it to an end,” she said.
“If this helps, that will be positive for future instances as well.
“We can use it as a test case to see if it actually works and to see if it can support the residents in these areas who I know are in support of this plan.”
Fianna Fáil councillor Yvonne Collins added that the motion would help reinforce the idea of respect towards spaces like cemeteries.
“We’re dealing with a very important issue, which is the importance of cemeteries in our communities,” she said.
“It’s very sad that there are instances where you have people who feel the need to go to a place like that for these activities.
“It can be very distressing for the families and for the wider community.
“I think this will reinforce the idea of respect and it certainly is not going to affect anybody who’s going up there to remember their loved ones.”