Editorial: It's getting worse - hellish Hallowe’en scenes need to end in Kilkenny

Is it time to have a grown-up conversation as to what should be acceptable and tolerable on Hallowe’en night, and the weeks leading up to it?

As far back as early September, the Kilkenny People published a front page story with the headline ‘Fireworks nightmare plaguing residents’. It described the already-regular barrages occurring in estates around Kilkenny City and in Callan, leaving pets terrified, older people and families afraid to go out.

Detailing the scenes of youths creating intimidating situations on a nightly basis, the article warned that it would only get worse as Hallowe’en approached. Unfortunately, that is exactly what came to pass.

On October 31, some residential areas in Kilkenny City became akin to warzones as groups of youths — wearing hoods, masks, and even balaclavas — waged an onslaught against anything they came across.

Houses and parked cars were targeted, while fireworks were fired at other groups of teenagers, and indeed, even at families and petrified young children out trick or treating at 6pm in the evening. The culprits had no fear of reprimand or of any potential garda presence, to the extent that there was any at all.

Some residents are firmly of the view that things were much worse this year, and whether or not this is an outlier or if this is now to be the norm is cause for worry.

Perhaps it is an issue that our newly-formed Local Community Policing Partnerships can address, with local councillors and other elected representatives given a forum to put these questions to gardaí and convey the concerns of their constituents.

Let us also hope that common sense will prevail, and that representatives of the media will be allowed to attend and report on these important public issues at what should be public meetings - so that citizens may be informed as to what is happening.

There have already been grave concerns expressed by elected representatives that these new LCPCS will be watered-down versions of the Joint Policing Committee meetings that have served for many years as excellent arenas of discussion and cooperation between gardaí, community groups, and politicians.

To further lose any efficacy and transparency would serve to erode trust and confidence in what should be a valuable mechanism of local government and policing. READ MORE KILKENNY VIEWS AND OPINION HERE