Tipperary students warned that anti-social behaviour and excess alcohol can cost lives

Gardai  have issued an appeal to young people in Tipperary to take on board the catastrophic consequences caused by anti social behaviour and excess alcohol  in a bid to save lives through a new safer socialising programme.

A powerful presentation, a  Garda iniatitive in conjunction with HSE/Tusla/Rape Crisis Centre,  was shown in a  Tipperary school for the first time imploring vulnerable young people to make decisions when socialising that could save lives.

The Tipp town teenagers heard harrowing testimony from a mother whose son received one punch when  he intervened to stop a row.

Abbey CBS students, vice principal Pat Donovan and Garda Inspector Mark Allen and gardai Andrew Neill and Aidan Fitzpatrick from the Kilkenny Community Policing Unit at the presentation.

He underwent brain surgery after three bleeds  on the brain, he cannot speak   and is now paralaysed for life.

 She called on young people  to be aware of the dangers of anti social behaviour and excessive drinking when socialising.

Hundreds of students  from the Abbey CBS were told that in Tipperary town during 2017 ,  102 arrests were made for public order offences, there were forty assaults, fourteen of which were recorded as assault causing harm and the vast majority of those were  linked  to excess alcohol.

Cahir based Garda Inspector  Mark Allen, who welcomed Kilkenny Community Policing Unit  gardai Andrew Neill and Aidan Fitzpatrick  who made the presentation, said it was crucial for young people to make decisions when socialising to prevent themselves becoming part of those statistics.

They  were shown graphic videos of  how  aggressive  even normally quiet people turn after taking excessive alcohol.

The impact  of such behaviour for both the victim and the perpretator were outlined in graphic detail.

Staying safe by planning and making the right decisions  was a feature of the presentation which also  raised issues such as consent, social media and the sending of explicit images and the harm that can cause, speeding on the road, excess drinking  leading to aggression, assault and public order issues.     

Gda Aidan Fitzpatrick told the students he hoped they were talking about the  rape trial  in Northern Ireland recently  and in particular the issues surrounding consent, age and excess alcohol.

Sgt Andrew Neill said the presentation was designed to help young people stay safe by making the right decisions.

Abbey CBS Vice Principal Pat Donovan said it was important for students to hear  the message at the heart of the presentation.

"From fifteen onwards they are being confronted with issues such as alcohol, drugs and consent .

“That is the environment that is out there now  and we have to equip young people with the skills of how to handle all of that and stay safe.

“We are the  first school in Tipperary to hear this presentation and it was very important to open the students up to this," said Mr Donovan.