Drug use is ‘widespread’ on Athlone town streets
The scourge of public drinking and drug taking on the streets of Athlone was centre stage at the September meeting of the local municipal district this week, which heard calls for greater garda enforcement of the byelaws which are currently in place.
Cllr Frankie Keena told the meeting that anti-social behaviour of all kinds has “escalated considerably” in Athlone over the past six months to the point where it is having a negative impact on the commercial life of the town and also on tourists visiting the town.
Having raised the issue in January of this year, he again tabled a motion before this week's meeting of Athlone Moate Municipal District seeking an urgent review, in consultation with An Garda Siochána, of the council's byelaws dealing with drinking in public places in order to give the gardai more powers to address “such ongoing issues that are causing concerns to the commercial businesses in Athlone.”
“What's the point in bringing in byelaws if the gardai aren't enforcing the ones we already have?” asked Cllr John Dolan. “I was under the impression we had byelaws to cover public drinking yet it is happening on the streets every day of the week, and why aren't the guards on patrol and putting a stop to it.”
Cllr Dolan said there was “public drinking on Church Street all during Covid” and nobody was arrested.
And he also claimed that “open drug dealing” is a daily occurrence on the streets of the town. “I was up here in these Civic offices with my colleague, Cllr Tom Farrell, a couple of years ago and both of us witnessed open drug dealing in the Civic Square,” he added.
Pointing to the fact that there are security cameras on the streets of Athlone which are “linked up to Athlone Garda Station” Cllr Dolan said the issue of public drinking and drug taking “must be plainly obvious” to local gardai.
“I would like to see the gardai doing their job and implementing the byelaws we have in place before we bring in any more,” he said.
Cllr Paul Hogan said there had been “a number of anti-social incidents” over the past few months and, while the council could review the byelaws that are already in place, “it is up to An Garda Siochána” to implement them and to deal with public order issues.
Cathaoirleach of the municipal district, Cllr Louise Heavin said there should be “stakeholder engagement” around the whole issue of public drinking and drug taking on the streets of Athlone, and suggested that perhaps the council could “engage with other towns” around the Midlands to see what actions they are taking.
“It is clear that what we have at the moment is not working,” she pointed out.
Cllr Heavin was critical of what she described as “a two-tier system” in relation to public drinking and asked why it was permitted to drink a pint outside a licenced premises once it was purchased on the premises, and yet it was an offence to “sit on a public bench and drink a can.”
The council's Director of Services, Barry Kehoe, described the issues raised by Cllr Frankie Keena in his motion as being “difficult” and said the council co-operates on a regular basis with the “various agencies” around public order issues.
District Manager Jackie Finney said the byelaws already in place “are strong” and include the power of “confiscation and arrest.”
“If there is some action we can take around byelaws we will certainly consider it and bring it before the elected members,” said Barry Kehoe, but Cllr Keena observed that Athlone now has “a pristine pedestrian bridge” and magnificent public realm works, and yet “people can be sitting around all day drinking cans.”