McEntee to visit Cherry Orchard ‘in coming days’ after Garda car rammed

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee will visit Cherry Orchard in West Dublin, where a Garda car was rammed by so-called “joy-riders” on Monday evening, a spokesman has confirmed.

The visit, “to hear the community’s concerns and what they need in terms of policing and other supports”, would happen “in the coming days”, the spokesman said.

Ms McEntee described the incident, which involved a Garda car being rammed by a speeding car to cheers from dozens of onlookers, as “unacceptable” and said a widely-shared video showing dozens of onlookers cheering the scenes, showed “a blatant disregard for the law, for An Garda Síochána — and most importantly for decent people in the local community in Cherry Orchard”.

“We will always support communities affected by antisocial behaviour and criminality — honest, hard-working people who are appalled by this type of law breaking,” she said on Tuesday.

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Gardaí are confident they have established the identities of those involved in Monday’s incidents and arrests are expected soon. The two cars involved had been stolen and gardaí have recorded their licence plate numbers.

Welcoming Ms McEntee’s intention to visit the area, local councillor Daithi Doolan said “so-called joyriding” had “plagued the community for weeks and months”.

Mr Doolan added: “Particularly since the end of July it’s been an almost nightly occurrence for residents living in Cherry Orchard ... All the councillors I am sure are inundated every night with traumatised, stressed residents in that community practically begging for a response from gardaí.”

He was speaking at a Dublin city south central area meeting on Wednesday, at which he tabled a motion — which was passed — calling for additional gardaí in the Ballyfermot-Clondalkin area immediately and a long-term policing strategy for the area.

“This week has crystallised the need for a short-term response of the highest level ... Local gardaí are doing a good job under very difficult circumstances but we need a response at the highest level from the Garda Commissioner ... and indeed from the Minister for Justice,” said CllrMr Doolan.

[ McEntee criticised over response to anti-social behaviour in Dublin ]

[ ‘Flashing’ of stolen cars happens ‘every night’ in Cherry Orchard, say locals ]

Supporting him, Cllr Vincent Jackson said there had been an “escalation of this type of antisocial behaviour” in the “last few months”.

“I have never had the amount of correspondence as I have over the couple of days over what’s happening in Cherry Orchard,” Mr Jackson said. “I am talking about the very small amount of families that for a long, long time have been able to create mayhem in our communities. Unfortunately the softly, softly approach of us calling people down to have a chat with them about the behaviour of members of their family doesn’t seem to be working.

“I hope if any good comes from last Monday it’s that in the long term, the State, they realise they need to get their finger out on this. They need to work with DCC to ensure whatever structural deficits are there, that allows this kind of antisocial behaviour fester and that destroys the quality of life [is addressed].”

Cllr Máire Devine said “the vast majority” of Cherry Orchard residents were “living productive lives” but were “afraid to lift their head and are living in silence”.

“The very, very few [causing trouble] we need to come down hard on,” Ms Devine said. “There are the very few who need to be told, ‘This is not on. This is not happening. You have nowhere to go’. There are the majority whom we need to support, who don’t have a voice because they are too frightened to have it.”

Cllr Hazel Norton urged Dublin City Council management to support increased funding for the Familibase centre in Cherry Orchard for trauma-informed outreach and supports to children and families.