Residents terrified over violent acts including death threats

“I want more people to hear how we’re living. Every door we try to knock at, it’s closed in our faces.”

A local TD has called for the Dublin Crime Task Force to be deployed to combat intimidation that Balgaddy residents have faced from a masked gang in the last year.

Dublin Mid-West TD Mark Ward noted “repeated violent acts of intimidation and criminal damage” flagged to him recently in the area, including death threats and smashed windows.

The intimidators have pulled weapons on the affected residents and thrown projectiles into homes.

Several residents have informed The Echo that they feel terrified to leave the house and have considered moving to escape the trouble, even if an alternative option does not exist.

One concerned resident said: “Sometimes I think ‘Ah here, I’ll just walk out of here and go homeless.”

Others have moved, with some residents choosing to stay with extended families rather than live with the threat of violence on their doorstep.

Some of the people affected by the harassment have stated that the situation has had a strong impact on their mental health.

Panic attacks, a lack of sleep and meticulous planning in order to avoid the gang and leave the house for a while are among issues mentioned.

Several residents fear allowing family members to come and visit in case they also fall victim to these incidents while in the area and others have reported children feeling terrified.

Another resident described the situation in their household, where the occupants take turns camping out in the living room to keep watch throughout the night and noted the effect it has had on them.

The worried tenant stated: “I’m actually going to the doctor now because I’m under so much anxiety, stress. Like my head is all over the place.”

Some inhabitants noted that they have suffered from previous health issues, such as heart attacks, and that living under their own roofs in the locality only adds to the possibility of these problems cropping up again.

Residents have noted that they have brought the issue to the attention of local authorities and the local council but that they feel let down by them.

Mark Ward TD has brought the situation to the attention of the Garda Commissioner, the Taoiseach and the Minister for Justice.

He stated that many residents in Balgaddy want to be safe but problems in the area previously were “nowhere near this level.”

Deputy Ward said: “Residents have told me that they have received death threats. Their windows have been smashed and their properties vandalised.

“There has been intimidation of residents, including of those who are elderly or who are vulnerable in other ways.

“There are gatherings late at night, with open drug use and drug dealing. Residents feel that there is a credible threat to their personal safety and that of their families.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.