Kells residents saw ‘frightening and completely unacceptable events’ and claim the Garda response was ‘incredibly frustrating’

Residents of a Kells estate who endured horrendous anti-social behaviour on Halloween night have hit out at the lack of garda presence and say action has to be taken to address this type of behaviour before things escalate further next Halloween.

Alisha Doyle has lived all her life in O'Growney Terrace and says while there were always fireworks and a bonfire in the open space behind their estate, this year was the worst she had ever seen with fireworks being thrown at people and being thrown into gardens with no regard for safety.

She highlighted what she described as "frightening and completely unacceptable events" took place in O'Growney Terrace on Halloween night, and the ongoing lack of action being taken to address this behaviour.

"For the past number of years, residents have had to endure dangerous and reckless fireworks being set off in our residential area. However, this Halloween things went beyond what anyone should have to tolerate," said Alisha.

"Fireworks were set off dangerously close to people's homes, parked cars and members of the public. More disturbingly, fireworks were thrown into people's gardens and at individuals. This was not harmless Halloween fun; it was dangerous, intimidating behaviour that put people's safety at risk."

She spoke of the impact this mayhem had on residents, the majority of whom are elderly in the mature estate.

"Elderly neighbours, some have recently been widowed, were left extremely upset, families were frightened and pets were terrified. Residents have now reached the point where they feel they must move their cars away from their own parking spaces for fear of damage.

"Despite multiple calls to the Gardaí on the night, assistance did not arrive until approximately three hours later. A visit was also made to Kells Garda Station, only for residents to be told that nothing could be done. This response was incredibly frustrating, particularly given the seriousness of what was happening."

Alisha feels something has to be done to make sure things don't continue to escalate and has contacted local TDs and councillors to highlight the situation and ask what action would be taken to address the ongoing misuse of fireworks and protect residents.

"Fireworks are illegal in Ireland without the appropriate authorisation, yet year after year communities are left dealing with the consequences. Condemning this behaviour after the event is not enough. "We need visible enforcement, accountability and a clear plan to prevent this from happening again. Must residents wait until someone is seriously injured or a home or vehicle is damaged before meaningful action is taken? "

She added that people should be able to enjoy Halloween without fear and residents should not have to spend the night worrying about fireworks being thrown at their homes, cars or family members.

Another resident Ciaran Toner has lived in the estate for five years and says this year was the worst he had seen.

This year, he said it all started in September, with fireworks starting from around 3-4pm and continuing until 8pm or 9pm for weeks. On Halloween night a gang of around 20-30 teens and young adults were gathered in the estate and cctv footage shows them lighting fireworks and throwing them into gardens.

Ciaran himself got hit by a firework on the leg after challenging a group who had been throwing fireworks at another individual.

On Halloween night, he went to the garda station and was told there had been 200 calls that night and essentially nothing could be done. A car did come eventually up but it was three hours later.

He raised particular concerns for the many elderly people living in the estate, some of whom he said are housebound and have no choice but to stay there while all this is happening outside.

At a bare minimum, residents want to see patrols in the area in the run up to Halloween but also want a clear policing plan on how to address the behaviour and prevent it from escalating further next year.