Local people are afraid to walk down a main street because of the threatening behaviour from an out of control a gang of thugs, a councillor has warned.
The Mayor of Castlebar Cllr Michael Kilcoyne insisted extra gardai are urgently needed in the Co Mayo town to stamp out the rise in anti-social behaviour.
He said: “This matter needs urgent attention because downtown in Castlebar there are young fellas and young ladies as well that are causing havoc, causing mayhem in that shops are under pressure.
“Traders are saying that stuff is being stolen on them.”
Cllr Kilcoyne said the public order disturbances and offences are being caused by a group of 15-to-20 young men and women who are aged about 17 or 18.
He stressed they are often congregate in gangs of seven or eight people and “traders, shoppers and visitors are all afraid of these gangs”.
Cllr Kilcoyne, who said a few arrests have been made, added: “It’s impossible to watch them all. There needs to be more gardai and more visibility on the streets.”
The Independent representative said on Saturday a woman contacted him and alleged her teenage nephews were ‘assaulted’ in the Castlebar in the Castlebar Town Playground.
He added: “They were only 14 and 15 and were visiting from Chicago and were there for half an hour. Their aunt came back and they were surrounded by a gang of these thugs, some of them were covered in blood.”
Cllr Kilcoyne also described how elderly people are being “intimidated” by “gangs of youth” -both male and female -on footpaths who refuse to give way and force them onto roadways.
Peter Hynes the CEO of Mayo County Council has told Cllr Kilcoyne the Joint Policing Committee (JPC) should be reconvened in September to address the ongoing issues.
