People who raise the alarm about antisocial behaviour must be “listened to and their complaints acted upon promptly” according to Fine Gael senator Fidelma Healy Eames.
Sen Healy Eames, FG’s spokesperson for Social Protection, has joined with the Ballybane Community Forum in calling for urgent and immediate measures to tackle anti-social behaviour in Galway.
“Antisocial behaviour is damaging lives and communities and, at its worst, can have tragic consequences,” she said, before adding that the current manner of dealing with antisocial behaviour is “largely inadequate and very time consuming” and can take “many years before a satisfactory outcome has been reached”.
Sen Healy Eames has received a number of requests from individuals and families seeking housing transfer because “continuing antisocial behaviour had led to these victims being hounded out of their own homes”, while those causing the problem “face no consequences for their actions”.
Sen Healy Eames highlighted one case of an individual who has endured “inhumane treatment” from antisocial elements in her community.
“She has had turf and bottles thrown at her, had her home robbed several time, but more barbarically had human faeces smeared across her front door and windows,” she said. “She has already submitted Garda reports, doctor’s letters. However she must wait for months for a psychiatrist’s report before Galway City Council will contemplate giving her a housing transfer.”
Sen Healy Eames said more needs to be done to ensure that “those who cause antisocial behaviour are the ones who are punished and not those on the receiving end of it”.
