It is not good enough that children are living in a state of constant fear and terror. They are being intimidated and harassed on a daily basis. Their mobile phones are taken, their money stolen, they are being violently attacked and verbally abused.
And it’s all happening on our doorstep. You wouldn’t believe the level of intimidation that is going on unless you heard for yourself, which I did at a meeting of concerned parents on Wednesday night.
The meeting centred around incidents that are ongoing in Castlebar. Credit is being stolen from their mobiles. They are being made jump up and down to see if any change jingles in their pockets and if so it’s taken. It’s at a stage where they just hand the money over now for fear of being beaten and they are being beaten, threatened and verbally abused on a regular basis
They are terrified of their attackers and won’t allow their parents go to the gardaí in some instances for fear of the repercussions.
Some parents have gone to the authorities and feel that the gardaí aren’t doing enough to protect their children. Others have gone straight to the HSE social work department only to be told they can do nothing.
Then who is responsible for this appalling situation that is causing such alarming levels of distress and anguish?
Sixteen year old boys are effectively being held hostage in their own homes because they can’t risk going to town to meet up with their friends.
One lad got stuck on the roof of a building trying to evade his tormenters. Other kids are receiving threatening text messages telling them they will be cut up and stabbed but they are afraid to blow the whistle on their attackers for fear of further punishment.
The sad thing is that in some instances their parents have admitted they can do nothing to stop this criminal behaviour even though they know their children are around town causing mayhem. Someone is failing them.
It’s happening at the school gates, in carparks, on the streets, in estates, there is no refuge from this intimidation.
There is a belief that the majority of these young thugs are members of the Travelling community. That’s not tarring all Travellers with the one brush, it’s simply stating a fact. But they don’t act alone. By all accounts they are helped by members of the settled community.
Also wreaking havoc on the town are young lads who have been relocated to Castlebar from Limerick. One man claimed at Wednesday’s meeting that they are pushing huge amounts of drugs around town. Another said they have already been moved from one area of the town to another following complaints. This is despite the fact that there is a massive housing waiting list.
There were stories of estates where a number of families had moved in and taken over, treating them like halting sites. In some instances families had to move out due to the level of harassment and intimidation they were subjected to. Others were quick to point out that there were some “sound” Travellers living in Castlebar who never cause anyone any bother.
It’s not a problem that will be solved over night. But the parents who attended Wednesday’s meeting must be commended for taking this first step. Those who allowed themselves go on a committee which will meet the local Superintendent and senior HSE social workers should be further congratulated because ti was obvious at the meeting that those present were reluctant to do so for fear of further harassment.
No town, family, or individual should be held to ransom in this fashion by a group of young thugs who think they are above the law. Action is needed urgently. It shouldn’t take a serious attack or murder before the authorities make moves to stamp out this kind of behaviour and allow the people of Castlebar take back ownership of their town.
