€30k allocated for CCTV at St Cuthbert’s Park

By Maurice Garvey

CCTV works are scheduled to be installed at St Cuthbert’s Park in Clondalkin – a location which has suffered serious anti-social activity over the last year.

South Dublin County Council are allocating €30,000 for CCTV at St Cuthbert’s – as part of a €1 million fund for public realm improvement works across the county in 2017.

CCTV cameras will also be upgraded at Corkagh Park (€30,000), and at the open space in Balgaddy (€25,000), as part of the funding allocations.

Sinn Féin councillor Mark Ward welcomed the plans, citing a park “blighted with scramblers and joyriding over the last year.”

Cllr Ward said: “We have an opportunity to reclaim the park for public use in line with the building of 63 houses in the park. I am a member of a high-level task force of public reps, senior council officials, senior gardai and the community safety forum, that are tasked with coming up with long- and short-term solutions to anti-social behaviour for the park”

“Additionally, our remit is to come up with ways to make the park user-friendly. I have been tasked to develop a group of local residents to help with the process and I am currently pursuing this.”

Ward feels the issue is compounded by unscrupulous litter collectors, who are out for “commercial gain.”

He continued: “They are collecting people’s household waste and dumping it wherever they get the chance. This needs to stop.

“I have been giving assurance by management of SDCC that the installation of CCTV in St Cuthbert’s is a priority. Clondalkin gardai will be fully involved with the process. The installation of CCTV is positive news for the area and will act as a deterrent.

I expect incidents of anti-social behaviour and illegal dumping to decrease.”