‘In broad daylight they deal drugs in front of you’
NEW LIGHTS have been installed in Fettercairn as part of the council’s Energy Efficiency Programme and in turn, will give resident’s greater visibility and scope for protecting their homes from ongoing anti-social issues.
Issues with young people, some as young as primary school-age, drug dealing in Fettercairn were recently reported in The Echo.
The lights installed in Fettercairn estate this week
South Dublin County Council revealed that they had received more than double the reports of drug dealing in Tallaght in 2020 than that of 2019.
The council have been working to increase visibility in Fettercairn, spending around €15,000 replacing 50 lamppost bulbs with new LED lighting.
Although the timing of the lighting upgrades and reports of an increased level of drug dealing in the area are coincidental, it will give resident’s greater visibility.
“Some of the lights were gone in the area and not working properly,” Mary Keegan, Fettercairn Estate Manager, told The Echo.
“We did find that some areas were particularly dark, so the council have repaired those spots and put in those LED lights.
“We did hear from two residents that they are very happy with the new lights because it is much brighter.
“It’s important for residents that they can see what’s going on, on their road.
“It’s important in the sense that it enables them to protect their properties, see who is around when leaving the house, make sure there is nothing going on and hopefully ensure that their property is vandal proof.
“There have been a lot of issues with the lockdown because resources are thin on the ground, so it’s the nature of the beast at the moment.”
With drug dealing increasing in its visibility in Fettercairn and the surrounding area, Sinn Féin councillor Louise Dunne believes that there will be no change in behaviour.
When asked about whether she believed the brighter LED lights could help deter anti-social behaviour, Cllr Dunne was not holding out hope.
“The council has installed LED lights in a few different estates around Tallaght and they do deter people from some levels of criminal activity such as stealing cars,” Cllr Dunne told The Echo.
“The drug dealing in Fettercairn, and it’s not only Fettercairn, is so blatantly obvious.
“In broad daylight they deal drugs in front of you, so a few LED lights won’t deter them from doing it at night.
“When I was growing up there was Parents Against Drugs in the 90s, but this is a whole different level now.
“It has become so normalised to see people dealing now, they’re so brazen and they’ve no fear at all.”
Statistics around anti-social behaviour released by the council show that they received 124 reports of violence, intimidation and harassment in 2020.
Mary Keegan believes that resident’s in Tallaght are living in fear and that a multi-agency approach needs to be taken.
“This starts with the parents; they need to step-up and take control because it’s unfair on the rest of the community,” Ms Keegan said.
“We can’t be thinking it has nothing to do with the parents, they have a major role to play.
“People in the community are living scared, they’re afraid to go outside their door, they won’t go on public transport because they have to walk to it and if they get on it, they’re terrified they will be attacked. It’s a horrible existence really and it has to stop.
“But at the same time, the parents can only do so much on their own and I do feel that where there are issues like this, the whole thing needs to be addressed with a multi-agency approach.
“When you see a parent struggling, that’s where support workers need to be.
“It’s not about restricting people, it’s about aiding and supporting families to be able to live the best life they can without having to go down the wrong path because when that happens, as we have seen in Fettercairn, children can go on to university and do wonderful things.”
Cllr Dunne echoed Mary’s sentiments, accepting that a multi-agency approach is key to ensuring communities don’t get left behind.
“I do think a multi-agency approach is what needs to be taken because it can happen that communities get left behind and fall into ruin,” said Cllr Dunne.
“Young children are being groomed by these gangs, and the children see dealers in nice clothes and nice cars.
“There needs to be youth projects on the ground working directly with kids where they’re at to ensure you catch them before they enter into higher levels of criminality.
“You can only parent so much ‘cause once they’re on the streets, they are going to be influenced by their friends.
“These kids end up getting JLOs and when they turn 18, the guards just come and arrest them and send them to prison – that doesn’t solve the problem.
“Get into these communities, the gardai, the council, implement youth projects to work with young children and even parents because it’s not black and white – it’s such a complex issue.”
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