‘There doesn’t seem to be a deterrent... People seem to think that it is a free for all here’

The need for greater Garda cover and more gardai on the beat across the Ashbourne Garda District, has been highlighted following a number of recent incidents.

There has been widespread dismay at the news that there is just one community garda in the district, which stretches from the Meath coast as far as Dunboyne.

Cllr Sharon Tolan and Bettystown resident said the community of east Meath had been shaken by a recent incident where two teenagers were robbed at knife-point by other youngsters.

“There doesn't seem to be a deterrent. People seem to think it is a free for all here, because they know the gardai will have to come from Ashbourne,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ratoath's Cllr Nick Killian said the local community was fearful of an increase in anti-social behaviour as the evenings get longer and the weather better.

“Anti-social behaviour always increases in the village in the summer months and I have been disgusted to find out recently there is now only one community garda for the entire Ashbourne district.”

Cllr Tolan said the recent knife-point robbery had taken place in broad daylight at 7.30pm in the evening.

“This was a shocking crime to happen at any time of the day.

“There doesn't seem to be a deterrent. When someone phones Laytown Garda station and they are redirected to Ashbourne they feel left out in the cold. They feel disconnected.

“Last year was fantastic. We got great Garda support in the community over the summer – we even had gardai on horseback. It made a huge difference, but this cannot just be in the summer months.

“We need to see gardai on the beat and community policing all year round,” she said.

Cllr Killian said there had been a rise in anti-social behaviour in the Ratoath area over the last few months.

“I am looking for more gardai on the beat, I met with the community garda recently and discovered that she is the only one for the entire Ashbourne District.

“Last year, the Commissioner promised more gardai on the beat, but we haven't seen any improvement,” he said.

“We haven't got a garda station in Ratoath and we will not get one, but we really need a garda presence in the town.

Cllr Killian said that it is a very small cohort of young people aged between 12 and 14 that are causing problems in Ratoath - and 99 per cent of the youngsters in the area are very well behaved.

“We have youngsters throwing egg at windows, knocking at doors and we have had a lot of graffiti.

“With the long summer evenings, this will only go on for longer.

“If there were gardai on the beat, in the village, it would deter these youngsters,” he said.

Cllr Killian said that the Riverside Walk is a wonderful amenity but has had problems with youngsters hanging around intimidating people, but the Tidy Towns Committee have great plans for that area.

“There are lots of sports facilities in Ratoath, but the youngsters involved aren't interested.

“A greater garda presence is what is needed,” he said.

Chief Superintendent Fergus Healy said garda figures are always under review.

“We recently looked at the Laytown area and put in additional resources there,” he said.

“Community Garda policing is also under review. We had to change rotas because of the Covid crisis and we are waiting for an instruction from the Commissioner to revert back to previous rotas which would give an opportunity to look at community policing.”