Anti-social behaviour is 'on the increase' in the centre of this Tipperary town

An increase in anti-social behaviour in and around Clonmel has prompted a local councillor to request a meeting with the Chief Superintendent of the Gardaí.

Cllr Siobhán Ambrose made the request at a meeting of Clonmel Borough District, when she also asked that the meeting with the garda chief be held in camera.

A new role of Regional Chief Superintendent was created for Tipperary, Clare, Limerick, Cork and Kerry last month. Supt Brian Sugrue, who hails from Cloughjordan in north Tipperary, has been appointed as Garda Regional Chief Superintendent, southern region, based at Thurles Garda Station.

Also at the Borough District meeting in Clonmel, Cllr Michael Murphy said that 50 per cent of the lights in Gordon Place car park weren’t working. There were no identification marks on the poles so the fault couldn’t be reported directly to the energy provider.

He said there had been concern about anti-social behaviour in nearby Wolfe Tone Street, and most of the people who parked in Gordon Place car park had asked for the lights to be repaired with the onset of the darker evenings.

He also asked for an update on the reopening of the access gates from the car park to O’Neill Street.

Cllr Murphy said there was also an emerging anti-social behaviour issue at the old SuperValu building in Market Place, and he had contacted the gardaí about this. He said that the building adjacent to the former supermarket was completely exposed and open, and the last thing they wanted was for this to become another Clonmel Arms, in relation to the building being vandalised and occupied.

He supported calls for Remcoll, the company that owns most of the units in Market Place, to secure the building.

Cllr Murphy said a number of nearby traders had contacted him about anti-social behaviour in Hopkin’s Lane, which he said was crucial in terms of connectivity between O’Connell Street and the Mary Street car park.

During the dark evenings, people were afraid to walk through Hopkin’s Lane from 4pm onwards.

He realised that it was difficult to provide lighting there but thought that they might be able to provide something in the lane, even as a temporary solution.

Cllr Murphy said he had reported any incidents of anti-social behaviour to the gardaí.

Cllr Siobhán Ambrose said that older people were concerned about walking to and from the Mary Street car park through Hopkin’s Lane. The visibility was poor and she had been working with former Borough Engineer Eoin Powell to provide some lighting there.

Cllr Ambrose said that a window was broken in one of the units near the old SuperValu building. She said everyone wanted to see Market Place up and running again and everybody at council level was doing their best to engage with Remcoll.

She said it was more a case of people loitering there than anything else.

Cllr John FitzGerald said he understood that Remcoll would repair the broken windows and doors in the unit concerned.

District Administrator Carol Creighton said that an electrical contractor was working on the repair of the lights in Gordon Place car park. Funding had also been confirmed for public lighting in Hopkin’s Lane, either on a temporary or long-term basis.

She was aware of the incidents of anti-social behaviour at the old SuperValu building. She had written to Remcoll on two or three occasions in the last few weeks, and would keep the pressure on the company.