Calls for action as ‘chaotic intravenous drug use' has ‘taken a grip' on Wexford town
Independent councillor Leonard Kelly was made aware of used syringes uncovered in the car park of a local cinema, an area frequented by families and young children, while there was further evidence of drug use in Coolcotts as Solpadeine packaging was thrown around.
"These are just a couple of recent examples,' he said. 'If you ask groups like Wexford Tidy Towns, they are encountering this type of stuff all the time. We have to address this problem and come up with concrete solutions.'
Cllr Kelly says that, anecdotally, he's heard that Wexford is home to at least 100 intravenous drug users. However, he says he 'would like to get a handle on exactly how big this problem is'.
Commonly suggested solutions are needle exchanges and safe, regulated injection centres.
"I think we need to look at these possibilities, yes,' Cllr Kelly said. 'I understand it's a divisive issue. We would need to look at all the sensitivities around it and it would have to be very controlled. We'd also have to look at the potential impacts of placing these centres in marginalised communities, which may exacerbate existing issues.'
Regardless, Cllr Kelly feels that action needs to be taken on a problem that's 'taking a grip on our town'.
"We can't have discarded syringes in family spaces where kids are running around,' he said. 'There's a health issue and a criminal issue at play here. We can't afford to ignore this issue any longer.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sunday World
a day ago
- Sunday World
‘Who the f*** are you?' – Man spared jail for foul-mouthed attack over ‘dog s**t'
Joe Campbell threatened to punch a local authority official after his female colleague alerted him to how his pet had just 'taken a s***' on a footpath A dog owner threatened to punch a local authority official, telling him he 'didn't give a f*** about the guards' following a foul mouthed attack on his female colleague when she alerted him to how his pet had just 'taken a s***' on a footpath in a midlands town. Fifty-five-year-old Joe Campbell, of Great Water Street, Longford was convicted at a sitting of Longford District Court of using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour towards both Longford County Council employees arising from an incident at Great Water Street, Longford on July 16, 2024. Campbell represented himself throughout and had vehemently protested his innocence, claiming he had been singled out as an 'easy target' by both officials who had failed to 'approach the matter' in the appropriate fashion. Martha Kelly, an administrative officer in the council's environment section, said she had been driving down the town's Great Water Street at 8:40am on the morning of the incident when she spotted a small white dog with brown and black markings defecating on the street. Some 30 metres further down the road, she told of noticing Campbell walking along with a dog lead in his hand. It was at that stage Ms Kelly said she pulled up alongside Campbell, wound down her window before telling him: 'Your dog has just taken a s*** on the footpath.' Ms Kelly said the accused almost instantaneously began to stare at her, 'puffed his chest out' and walked towards her car. The court was told as the council official went to drive away from the scene, Campbell banged on the roof of her car and continued to shout before the accused walked back towards his dog. Later that same morning, Ms Kelly provided evidence of a second confrontation with the Longford man, this time as she walked along the street with two work colleagues. She said Michael Murphy, a community warden, approached Campbell to inform him as to her identity and to stress how his earlier conduct was not acceptable. Despite those attempts, Ms Kelly said Campbell's level of anger intensified, behaviour which saw the Longford bachelor turn towards her with a clenched fist while shouting: 'I don't give a f*** who she is.' Joe Campbell on the steps of Longford Courthouse. News in 90 Seconds - Tuesday, August 5th Judge Vincent Deane was told how Mr Murphy stepped in between the pair in a move that Ms Kelly said ended in Campbell 'threatening to box' her colleague on two separate occasions. The court heard how Campbell attended the offices of Longford County Council later that same afternoon where the pair held a conversation over what had unfolded earlier. Ms Kelly said she informed him of how she felt the accused had been 'very aggressive' towards her and Mr Murphy. It was a viewpoint Campbell didn't agree with, feelings the accused made plainly clear when telling her of his belief she had been 'picking on him' and how, in his opinion, Ms Kelly would be less forthcoming to 'someone of an ethnic minority group'. Under cross examination from the accused, Ms Kelly denied she had pulled up on a double yellow line and shouted at the 55-year-old. 'I was simply alerting you to the fact your dog had taken a crap on the street and to alert you to be a responsible dog owner to go back and pick it up,' she told him. Campbell contended those versions of events carried no credibility. 'No, you wound down the window on a double yellow line, gave me a jump and said: 'Your f****** dog is after s****** on the ground. Do you know your dog is after s****** on the ground?' In his direct evidence, Mr Murphy said his first knowledge of Campbell's earlier interaction with his line manager was when Ms Kelly notified him of the incident at work. He told the court how that exchange led him to believe the accused had been behind the earlier verbal attack, suspicions which were ultimately confirmed when he, together with Ms Kelly and another male colleague were walking along the same stretch of footpath a matter of hours later. Judge Vincent Deane hit out at Joe Campbell (pictured) for showing "absolutely no remorse" to two local authority employees he verbally abused during an incident in July last year. Mr Murphy recalled telling Campbell his aggression towards council staff would not be tolerated, warning him that should he persist in such a manner gardaí would be notified. 'He said: 'Who the f*** are you? You are not a guard',' revealed Mr Murphy, adding how Campbell began moving towards him with a clenched fist. Mr Murphy said Campbell's confrontational demeanour showed little sign of abating with the accused shouting: 'I don't give a f*** about the guards' as the trio moved away and put distance between themselves and the accused. Campbell put it to Mr Murphy in the witness box he had stopped short of introducing himself as a community warden and had, instead shouted across the road by saying: 'Joe, you are in trouble now.' "You didn't introduce yourself as a community warden. You shouted across the road at me: 'Joe you are in trouble now'.' Mr Murphy rejected those claims, saying Campbell had also yelled: 'I won't pay any f****** fine' when the dog excrement issue was put to him. He went on to similarly insist he had remained cool-headed throughout despite Campbell, by his own admission telling him to stop 'acting like a guard' during the exchange. 'I don't know whether I clenched my fist or not and I am not saying that was the right approach, but your approach wasn't the right approach,' he told Mr Murphy, branding his manner 'smarmy' and structured in a way to 'impress your colleagues'. Not for the first time, they were assertions Mr Murphy dismissed, stating his own conduct was 'courteous and mannerly at all times'. Joe Campbell on the steps of Longford Courthouse. Garda Anthony Scanlon said he had tried, without success, to make contact with Campbell on eight separate occasions in a bid to take a statement from him. He said when he did finally speak to Campbell on the phone on August 4 and set up a scheduled appointment five days later at Longford Garda Station, the accused failed to show. Campbell, for his part, maintained he was not 'hiding behind a door', saying his unavailability in the immediate aftermath of the incident was due to the fact he had been staying in his mother's house in Edgeworthstown. In his own evidence, Campbell said his dog, in fact, relieved himself on waste ground and not a public footpath as had been suggested by Ms Kelly. He said it was common consensus over the issues linked to dog excrement along the Great Water Street area, describing it as 'cat down there'. That said, he stressed while his own actions were 'not perfect', they had not been aided by the actions of Ms Kelly and Mr Murphy, the latter of whom he believed was particularly culpable. 'I felt Mr Murphy seemed to have it in for me when he said: 'You are in trouble now, Joe' as if he had finally caught me and he was very smarmy,' he said. 'I will admit the chest was out, but there were two chests out that day. I am not saying my behaviour was perfect, my argument is the council workers, in these two instances, didn't approach the matter in the proper fashion.' Judge Deane said a key factor the court was obliged to consider in making its decision was Campbell's own evidence in the witness box. He said the 'language, approach and attitude' of the accused were indicative of Campbell's own misguided belief in how both council officials should have acted on the day. 'He feels it (behaviour) was justified because he seems to think he is immune to getting challenged by members of the council,' said Judge Deane. 'His response was entirely inappropriate, it was threatening, abusive and insulting and it was reckless as to whether there would have been a breach of the peace.' Upon hearing of Campbell's 14 previous convictions, with five of the last six being recorded for similar public order offences, Judge Deane derided Campbell for showing 'absolutely no remorse' to both his victims who, he said, were simply doing their jobs. He consequently sentenced him to two months in prison for the initial public order charge, suspending its term for a period of two years. The accompanying section 6 charge was, meanwhile, taken into consideration.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on policing: domestic violence must be a key focus
Two days after Deputy Commissioner Justin Kelly was confirmed as successor to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris a fresh policing controversy erupted. A review of roads policing found a significant minority of frontline gardaí were uninterested in performing their duties. Indeed, they had a 'blatant disregard' for their jobs, often to the point of hostility. The report is yet to be published, but when the detail of the poor performance and belligerence of the problematic gardaí is laid bare, the controversy will only intensify. The episode is a timely lesson for Kelly as he prepares to take over as Garda commissioner on September 1st, when Harris resigns after seven years. Policing is complex, often problematic, and the next controversy is never too far away. Even if the vast majority of Garda members are committed and hardworking, things will go wrong. Docile, even corrupt, gardaí will create significant problems with the capacity to undermine the force in the eyes of the public. Shocking as the new roads policing revelations are, they have emerged because Garda Headquarters commissioned consultants to carry out a review after receiving claims in an anonymous letter from a Garda whistleblower. It is reassuring that Garda Headquarters was willing to unearth that incompetence and poor service, even if the details are stark. The continuation of that approach, being willing to proactively address problem areas in the force, must be one of Kelly's top priorities. This is a cultural approach he must lead and be seen to lead. READ MORE The Dubliner seems like a formidable policeman, with an impressive record from frontline uniform duties in some very challenging parts of Dublin to leading teams of specialist sex crime investigators. He also has experience leading some of the Garda's special units and was head of the organised and serious crime branch of the force. Though the fight against the gangs must continue, there is evidence from several sources – academia, NGOs and the Garda itself – that domestic and sexual violence is being perpetrated in the Republic at a scale we are only beginning to face up to. Victims, mostly women, are being beaten and terrorised in their homes by controlling men. Harris said this week that violent pornography had become so 'normalised' that sexual offenders were mimicking extreme behaviour in their attacks. As he comes to the job, Kelly is best known for his high profile senior management role in tackling the crime gangs and cartels that run Irish organised crime. This work must go on. However, with the gun feuds having dissipated over the last decade, the Garda must also refocus. Tackling the physical, sexual and psychological violence being inflicted on vulnerable victims across Irish society – most of it waged by men on women – must be a key part of this.
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Irish Independent
Letters: New garda commissioner Justin Kelly has a big job ahead as he tries to turn force around
While I, like many others, am delighted to see a homegrown member succeed to the highest echelons of the force, Justin Kelly will have his work cut out for him given the myriad problems facing him, including the recently published Crowe report. The dogs on the street know that the present model of policing just doesn't work and has been shown to be more of a hindrance than a help to both the public and to gardaí. Mr Kelly's main tasks will be recruitment and retention of gardaí, and to stem the flow of resignations which has dogged the force these past number of years. While the Government has ramped up its attempts to recruit, the expected increase in numbers hasn't materialised. Morale in the force has been at an all-time low, with many frontline gardaí I've spoken to concerned that the amalgamation of divisions, reduction in districts and closure of smaller stations expose them and the public to unnecessary dangers. The issue of over-discipline and internal oversight will be another factor he will have to contend with. While he may have master's in criminal justice and in serious crime, Mr Kelly will have to master an ingrained and faulty ideology that has caused major friction between the garda associations and the office of commissioner itself. How he will handle all of these issues, while attempting to appease his political overlords and those in the PCSA (Policing and Community Safety Authority), while governing a force in transformation and change, is anyone's guess. What makes him tick, and how will he use his management skills to radically change the narrative and bring together a force that has seen a huge chasm between those at the top and those who risk their lives on our behalf every day? Well, the proof will definitely be in the pudding. Christy Galligan, Letterkenny, Co Donegal Stop sneering – remote working can unlock huge potential of rural Ireland Sinéad Ryan and others in the media appear to be taking great delight in AIB's decision to force staff back to the office three days per week ('AIB wants its staff back to the office more – they should consider themselves lucky', Irish Independent, August 1). As a public servant who worked almost exclusively from home during the pandemic, I have written at length to this newspaper and elected representatives on this topic (all on my own time, I might add). Working from home is not always ideal. While one is sometimes more able to focus on specific tasks, there can also be domestic distractions and it can be isolating too. I will admit there is an increased sense of collegiality and more opportunities for collaboration when working from the office. However, remote working, by its very nature, can be done from a number of different locations. Most effectively, perhaps, from one of the many state-of-the art 'remote hubs' the government spent millions on establishing around the country during Covid and which are now, for the most part, gathering dust. This largely untapped resource could be the key to unlocking a new digital decentralisation. These hubs could effectively become branch offices, allowing people from remote regions to live and work, settle down and start families in their own locality. Negating the need for long commutes or relocation to already congested and expensive urban areas. Breathing new life into rural towns which are currently in decline. If the public sector took the lead on this (it was public money spent on these hubs, after all) others would surely follow. It would sure beat reading endless opinion pieces by mean-spirited columnists gloating about spoiled workers being dragged back to the office by tough, uncompromising, bombastic bosses. Yawn… Paddy Sharkey, Kilcar, Co Donegal Digital divide in literacy poses serious risks to the future of our democracy A century ago, mass literacy helped build liberal democracy; today, its erosion may accelerate its decline. Long-form reading – the kind that trains attention, deep reasoning and tolerance for complexity – is quietly becoming a class-based skill. As smartphones colonise ever more of daily life, this cognitive bifurcation will harden. We already see the outlines: elites paying fees to shield their children from screens, while poorer families navigate algorithm-driven content designed to addict. The result is not just cultural decay but political vulnerability. A distracted electorate, trained on dopamine loops and meme-slop, is less able to scrutinise policy, follow evidence or defend democratic norms. Ireland, with a highly educated population, still young in its republic, would do well to recognise this as a national risk. Literacy was once the route to dignity. If it is allowed to drift into the realm of the privileged, we may soon find that the real digital divide was not access to devices but the ability to think beyond them. Enda Cullen, Tullysaran, Co Armagh Disgusting racist attacks on Indian community do not represent real Ireland The increasing number of physical attacks on members of the Indian community living in Ireland (which have led to the Indian embassy issuing a safety advisory notice) is a cause of growing concern. To think that the Indian constitution was significantly influenced by the Irish Constitution, and in particular the shared provision for government to promote the social and economic welfare of all the people. How the founders of our Constitution must be turning in their graves at today's horrendous racist attacks. Mark Hogan, Wicklow town Gavin's Football Review Committee has been real winner this GAA season After the camogie final next Sunday, the 'hooter' on GAA inter-county season 2025 will sound, leaving only speculation and opinion as to the teams of the year and the players of the season. I have for many weeks now, settled on my team of 2025, namely, the Football Review Committee captained by Jim Gavin. The captain and his team have certainly put in the graft, have stuck to their game plan, with perceptive flexibility as needed, and haven't shirked their essential responsibilities. Thus, they have scored championship-winning goals in the radical reappraisal and rehabilitation of Gaelic football. My only concern now is, that if this team features again next year, football will galvanise itself as 'the new hurling' of the GAA world, an anathema for a Kilkenny man.
