Bonfires at Halloween were discussed and are started so drugs and alcohol can be sold at them
Residents urged to make 999 calls to gardai about issues
An Garda Síochána have asked residents of Kilnamanagh to make more 999 calls about issues in the area, even if they seem like “small issues”.
Gardaí who attended a meeting of the Kilnamanagh Neighbourhood Watch on Monday, December 1, told residents it is important they report small issues to prevent them from escalating.
That’s according to a representative from the neighbourhood watch who spoke to The Echo.
They said the meeting earlier this month was very well attended and that there was “a very lively debate on the different issues that concerned people” living in Kilnamanagh.
“The guards are very, very good towards residents and it’s an opportunity that we like to bring residents together so Gardaí can talk directly to them,” they said.
“The main thing from their point of view is that there’s not enough people making phone calls and reporting to the Gardaí, they often think that they’re small enough.
“It’s amazing how a number of small issues build up into something major but people don’t necessarily see that,” they added.
Other issues discussed at the meeting included bonfires and antisocial behaviour in the area this Halloween, and the burning of the slide at Kilnamanagh playground in early October of this year.
The representative from Kilnamanagh Neighbourhood Watch said that there seems to be a small cohort of individuals who are encouraging young people to start bonfires so they can then sell drugs and alcohol at the gatherings.
“People say bonfires are part of our culture, but that kind of behaviour is not,” they said.
Another issue raised at the meeting was the assault on an Indian man near Parkhill Lawns in Kilnamanagh in July of this year.
“Obviously Gardaí weren’t able to comment on the ongoing investigation, but they have arrested four people in relation to that and everyone in Kilnamanagh wants to see it brought to a satisfactory conclusion,” they said.
They said that Gardaí were able to update residents on the condition of the man who was assaulted and that he was doing “reasonably well”.
Meetings between Kilnamanagh Neighbourhood Watch usually take place twice a year, and though a meeting scheduled earlier in 2025 did not take place for a number of reasons, the representative said, the next meeting is scheduled to go ahead in April 2026.
