DUBLIN — The Chairperson of the North Central area committee of Dublin City Council, Cllr Daryl Barron, has publicly called on An Garda Síochána (Irish Police) to visit local schools and address young people about the “disgusting behaviour” of vandalising public playgrounds.
Speaking on RTÉ radio, Cllr Barron condemned the arson attack that badly damaged a playground at Oscar Traynor Park in Coolock on Sunday night, describing it as “absolutely appalling” and part of a worrying trend of anti-social behaviour.
“The damage had been caused by young delinquents, mindless thugs,” Cllr Barron stated, noting that the destruction is often driven by a quest for “clickbait” and social media virality on platforms like TikTok or Snapchat.
The damage to the new Coolock playground alone is estimated to be up to €100,000. Cllr Barron highlighted that this is not an isolated incident, citing previous fire damage to new public toilets in St. Anne’s Park (which haven’t even opened yet) and attacks on other recently opened playgrounds in Harmonstown and Kilmore. The Kilmore playground cost over a quarter of a million euro to install.
Cllr Barron emphasised that this destruction is a waste of “public taxpayers’ money” and urged that a two-pronged approach is needed to curb the issue:
- Education: Gardaí must engage directly with young people in schools.
- Technology: Dublin City Council must “seriously look” at the strategic use of CCTV technology at public facilities to deter and prevent damage to social infrastructure.
