Call for working group to end 'targeted arson attacks' on Dublin playgrounds
It’s time for “the community to come together” and put an end to the rampant vandalism that’s occurring on playgrounds across Dublin .
That’s according to Social Democrats Councillor Daniel Ennis who took to social media to call for the formation of a working group that brings together An Garda Siochana, Dublin City Council , and members of the community to address those wreaking havoc at local play spaces. He highlighted the arson attack on Diamond Park, which caused €300,000 in damages to the North Inner City last Halloween, as particularly egregious.
Cllr Ennis will be tabling an emergency motion at the upcoming Central Area Committee meeting calling for groups to come together and stamp out this problem once and for all. He said it’s important for people to act as “stewards of our own area” and protect these spaces for the community's young people.
He expressed his shock at the damages at Diamond Park, and said it’s a place he often takes his children to so they can enjoy “the unbelievable play spaces within the park.” He added this is not just "senseless vandalism anymore” but “targeted” attacks.
“People are angle grinding parts off the basketball hoops, the place spaces, the play areas for kids, what’s this about? We need to, as a community, come together on this,” he said.
“We are screaming for more safe places for our kids to play, and instead we are watching the few we have being torn apart.”
This isn’t just an inner city problem, as St Anne's Park between Raheny and Clontarf saw vandals set long-fought for eco-toilets ablaze just six days after they had been installed last October. This blatant act of shocking vandalism saw councillors and TDs voice their concern at the increasing levels of anti-social behaviour on local facilities.
“They were here for six days and they’ve already been destroyed. The thing people are really p****d off about is this was your tax money that finally went toward something that is going to be used,” local TD Barry Heneghan said at the time. “It’s completely unacceptable. This is an attack on our community and we’re not going to let the vandals win.”
Speaking at the scene, Cllr Kevin Breen said the destruction of the toilets felt “like someone had kicked me in the stomach” considering the relentless campaigning that had been done to get them placed. “Thousands of children play sports here each weekend and it’s absolutely sickened to see what’s happened,” he said.
Another heart-breaking attack occurred just days after Christmas , when arsonists burnt a playground in Chapelizod just days after it had opened. The playground was built following a four-year long campaign by local parents who quickly saw it damaged by unknown attackers.
These are just a few examples of what local communities have had to deal with in recent months, as it seems any new play facilities immediately become a target for vandalism. Following so many attacks, Lord Mayor Ray McAdam issued a statement calling out this “deeply worrying pattern.”
“Let me be absolutely clear: this is mindless, idiotic criminal behaviour. It is not 'a bit of messing', it is not a prank – it is the deliberate destruction of safe, public spaces that belong to children and families, and of pitches that belong to local clubs and communities.
“When you burn a playground in Diamond Park or Kilmore, when you set fire to equipment in Bridgefoot Street or Sean Moore Park, when you wreck a pitch in Fairview Park or attack facilities in St Anne’s Park, you are not “taking on the system” – you are robbing local kids of somewhere safe and fun to play after school and at weekends. You are damaging places that communities have fought for and that the council has invested in.
Lord Mayor McAdam told those responsible to “grow up and cop on” and that they are “not impressing anyone.” “You are letting down your neighbours, your own younger brothers and sisters, your teammates, and your community,” he said.
Cllr Ennis will be submitting his emergency motion calling for the formation of a working group tasked with tackling vandalism on playgrounds to the Central Area Committee meeting taking place next Wednesday.
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