Suspects involved in the ramming of a garda car in Cherry Orchard in west Dublin on Monday night are believed to have acted in revenge for a recent, wide-ranging search operation by gardaí in the area.
Gardaí are confident they have established the identities of those involved in Monday’s incidents and arrests are expected soon. The two cars involved had been stolen and gardaí have recorded their licence plate numbers.
On Monday night, video footage emerged on social media of a Garda car being rammed by another vehicle in Cherry Orchard. A spokesman for the gardaí said members received reports of dangerous driving in the Ballyfermot area.
Upon their arrival at the scene, two vehicles were driving erratically, failed to stop when requested to do so, and one vehicle then rammed an official Garda car.
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Some of the suspects involved are youths and were under a court ordered curfew at the time, sources said. The incident occurred around the time their curfew was due to begin.
The suspects are believed to have rammed the garda car in revenge for a series of arrests made last month of young men and teenagers suspected of involvement in car thefts, dangerous driving, criminal damage and public order offences in Cherry Orchard. Most of those involved are underage and are being dealt with as minors by the courts.
Several houses were searched by Ballyfermot gardaí who were backed up by the Armed Support Unit, the Garda helicopter and gardaí from Clondalkin and Rathcoole.
‘Disgraceful’
The Garda Commissioner has described Monday night’s incident as “disgraceful” and “very concerning”.
Drew Harris said there was a full investigation under way and the public order unit was now on standby.
Speaking at the National Ploughing Championships, Mr Harris said the two gardaí who were in the patrol car that was rammed were uninjured and 11 garda cars were on hand shortly afterwards.
He said the public order unit had been on standby over the weekend. “In effect we have brought forward our operation and response to the rise of anti-social behaviour around the Halloween period.”
“I am saying to the local community that we did respond in terms of an overt presence.”
In light of the events, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said she has asked Commissioner Drew Harris to specifically examine what can be done about “this type of anti-social behaviour.”
Ms McEntee, speaking in the Dáil, said the video showed “a blatant disregard for the law, for An Garda Síochána - and most importantly for decent people in the local community in Cherry Orchard.
“We will always support communities affected by anti-social behaviour and criminality - honest, hard-working people who are appalled by this type of law breaking.
“We will also always put supports in place to ensure that there are services and facilities for young people in all our communities.
“But, I have to be clear: anyone who engages in anti-social behaviour can be punished - and we will not allow anti-social behaviour leave communities in fear.
“We will always support communities. We will do so in a comprehensive way and I have asked the Garda Commissioner specifically to look at what more we can do to tackle and deal with this type of anti-social behaviour.”
Living in fear
Local representatives have said residents in the suburb are “living in fear” of being petrol bombed or having their cars burnt out.
Local Sinn Féin councillor Daithí Doolan, who is also the chairman of the Dublin City Council Joint Policing Committee, said this is just the latest in a series of antisocial incidents the community has experienced.
In January, there were six nights in a row when cars were robbed and burned out, he said, with another surge in violence in July when cars were robbed five nights in a row and taken on a “joyride” around the community.
“This is nothing new unfortunately. It was a very, very dangerous situation for the gardaí, for the residents, and indeed for the young people,” he said.
“Cherry Orchard is a community in trauma. When young people are raised in a community when there is violence like that, drug-related intimidation, the activity that goes with drug dealing, criminal gangs, it leaks down to young people. Those people grow up to be parents, they grow up to be grandparents. And now we’re dealing with three generations, leaving a deep trauma that’s unresolved.”
The incident has been described as “very disturbing” by the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI).
Antoinette Cunningham, general secretary of the AGSI, told RTE’s Morning Ireland social media coverage of the incident could encourage copycat incidents, as others would feel empowered to engage in “more of this behaviour”.
The situation required more than just condemnation, it required solutions, she said. “It’s easy to condemn, it’s difficult to give solutions to ensure that this kind of behaviour doesn’t continue. We have to find long term solutions.”
