Kilkenny needs more gardaí - School-goers distressed after Callan mass brawl

A local TD is calling for a more visible garda presence on our streets following scenes of ‘horrible violence’ in Callan last week.

At least one person was seriously injured following a fracas that took place in the middle of the day in Callan on Thursday. The violent brawl occurred at lunchtime on Bridge Street, in the centre of the town, outside a number of open businesses.

One man was taken to hospital by ambulance. Numerous videos of the incident circulated online.

Traffic on the one-way street was backed up and witnesses described cars going in both directions. Motorists caught in the ensuing traffic hold-up witnessed the incident, as did local secondary school students.

Kilkenny TD Peter ‘Chap’ Cleere says a visible garda presence is needed and he will be championing the county when it comes to the allocation of new gardaí - after a drop of 10% in local garda numbers in four years.

Many of the teenagers had to walk past the incident to return to school after their lunch break and some were reported to be too upset by what they witnessed to return to class.

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Locals are shocked and have condemned the ‘horrible violence’ witnessed in the town.
It is believed the incident was a row between two local, feuding groups.

Videos of the incident are circulating, showing a group of up to six men, in various states of undress, with punches being thrown.

Deputy Cleere highlighted that the number of gardaí in Carlow Kilkenny has reduced by 10% in the last four years, with only 312 gardaí in the garda district, while there were 350 four years ago.
The local population has been increasing at the same time, he added.

Deputy Cleere said: “We have to see more gardaí on the street, the more we have the better.”
The recent garda recruitment campaign was “massively oversubscribed,” he pointed out and said “I will be championing that they don’t just stay in Dublin.

“Irish people have real pride in the force. People yearn for the sight of a garda, but the real challenge is we haven’t enough gardaí to do that.”
More gardaí are needed, particularly in Kilkenny, and they need more resources. The ‘real frustrating thing’ for gardaí is the amount of bureaucracy in their job, Deputy Cleere said.

The Carlow Kilkenny TD went on to say that the amount of ‘red tape’ gardaí deal with and ‘being stuck behind a desk’ instead of being out on the street, keeping people safe, is not the job they signed up for.