Roving security team to tackle surge in anti-social behaviour in Dublin parks
Dublin City Council (DCC) has introduced a mobile security unit to patrol and respond to incidents in its parks, amidst an upswing in the level of anti-social behaviour in the city centre.
It will operate with staff from security firm Bidvest Noonan on a six-month trial basis, roving between city parks in an electric van.
Council officials said that staff in the unit “will wear identifiable security vests and body cameras, similar to those used by Irish Rail crews”.
"All security staff have received specialised training and have established strong working relationships with our parks team,” they said.
"Bidvest Noonan will work closely with our parks staff to respond to incidents in our parks as they arise. The Mobile Security Crew will also log incidents as they arise and prepare regular reports documenting their activities.”
The introduction of the unit follows a damning council report, seen by the Irish Independent last year, outlining the scale of anti-social behaviour in nine city centre parks.
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In the report, DCC senior parks and landscape officer Deirdre Prince said staff were “increasingly confronted with serious anti-social and hazardous behaviour” in the course of their duties.
Bridgefoot Street Park, Mountjoy Square and Diamond Park were among the blackspots highlighted in the document, which detailed 130 drug, arson and other anti-social behaviour incidents across July and August of last year.
It is hoped that the new roving security will provide a deterrent to such behaviour, along with assisting gardaí and parks staff in their response to it.
Green Party councillor Janet Horner said the additional security was a welcome addition, but cautioned against what she called the “dystopian” view that parks should have a heavy security presence.
“It’s really important that there’s a welcoming feel to parks, and that means that people don’t feel that they’re being watched too carefully, or they’re there to be too aggressive with people,” she said.
Ms Horner said it was impossible to police all of the city’s parks “around the clock”, but that she felt an increase in security was necessary at this point.
“I would hope that they are roving around to a certain extent, because really, deterrence is much more important than reaction,” she said.
Dublin’s Lord Mayor Ray McAdam said that the pilot was all about “visibility, reassurance, early intervention and making sure our safe spaces feel safe at all times”.
“Obviously the gardaí remain responsible for policing, but what we’re doing with this initiative is to add that visible trained presence on the ground that will work alongside our parks department teams and local gardaí to respond quickly and deter anti-social behaviour before it escalates,” he said.
“The fact is, our parks are safe, they’re welcoming. This should be a basic standard for any and every city, and I want to make sure Dublin meets that standard every day and across every neighbourhood.”
The number of staff in the mobile unit is not clear at this point, nor their operating hours, but they will not have the power to arrest individuals.