Residents encouraged to gather information of people illegally dumping
RESIDENTS of Rossfield Green in Tallaght are being encouraged by a local councillor to note the date and approximate time of instances of criminality and illegal dumping in the area, in order to assist South Dublin County Council and the gardai.
Solidarity councillor for Tallaght South, Brian Leech, has said that residents can assist the council in this way, following a question he raised concerning a static CCTV camera in Rossfield Green at last month’s Tallaght Area Committee meeting.
A photo shared with The Echo of illegal dumping
Cllr Leech stated in his question that residents have reported “quite a lot” of criminal activity and illegal dumping in the Rossfield Green area, and asked the council if footage from a static CCTV camera in the area was being used “to prosecute the culprits involved”.
In response, South Dublin County Council stated: “All council CCTV cameras are checked and maintained on a regular basis, repairs are carried out where a fault or damage is detected.
“For data protection purposes there is a strict protocol in place for footage to be downloaded for use in criminal cases, the gardai work closely with the relevant council staff in this regard.
“During 2017 a total number of 25 illegal dumping/litter complaints were received by EWCC (Environment, Water and Climate Change) in respect of the Rossfield area, and to date in 2018 a total of five reports have been received.
No evidence was found
“All reports received were investigated by the litter warden service and no evidence was found.”
Cllr Leech told The Echo that residents can help the council and the gardai with gathering evidence of criminal activities and illegal dumping in the area by making a note of the date and time when they see these instances occurring, as evidence can then be taken from CCTV footage.
“If someone looks out the window and they see anti-social behaviour,” said Cllr Leech, “like someone dealing drugs, or interfering with a car or illegally dumping, they should log what they see and put down the time and date when it happened.”
