Pattern of arson and violent incidents in Diamond Park revealed ahead of devastating Halloween attack
Reports from Dublin City Council (DCC) park staff reveal that Diamond Park was a hive of arson attacks in the months leading up to the devastating Halloween attack, which did €300,000 worth of damage.
The documents show that in the month of August alone, there were four separate arson attacks in the park, and another case where a park worker arrived to find a burned-out bin.
On four dates between August 9 and August 17, youths were reported to be attempting to set park bins and playground equipment on fire repeatedly throughout the day.
In the first of these, the fire was extinguished by a park ranger with help from a member of the public.
Gardaí were called for the other three days, but the report cited mixed outcomes arising from this.
They removed the youths on several occasions on the first day, however they arrived after the group had already left the scene in the second report.
They were removed by Gardaí in the final arson report, but returned later to threaten the park ranger.
At the start of their shift on August 23, a ranger arrived to find a burned-out bin in the park, which has since been removed.
The reports come in the wake of a devastating arson and vandalism attack on the park over Halloween, leading to the closure of the playground ever since.
Along with reports of arson, the group of youths are also recorded to have thrown stones and attempted to steal litter pickers from park staff.
On August 23, they managed to acquire the tool and used it to assault a park ranger, in a case that was subsequently reported to Gardaí.
Almost all of the 14 incidents reported were linked to a group of youths.
The records show that three were resolved by a member of the public stepping in to aid the park ranger involved, while six resulted in Garda contact being made.
A note in the document said it was “evident that park rangers faced ongoing threats to their safety and were frequently targeted by small groups of persistent youths.”
"Several incidents escalated to violence, including an assault requiring Garda involvement and a formal statement.”
"While Gardaí attended some incidents promptly, delays and non-attendance were also noted, leading to situations where rangers relied on assistance from members of the public,” it said.
Without enhanced security measures, such as increased Garda patrols, CCTV or dedicated security staff, “the safety of staff in this location cannot be assured,” the report concluded.