Dublin City Council has passed an emergency motion calling for the establishment of a dedicated Halloween safety and community protection taskforce following the serious damage and disruption experienced in communities across Dublin during Halloween.
The motion, brought forward by Social Democrats councillor Jesslyn Henry, calls on Dublin City Council to work alongside senior representatives of An Garda Síochána, elected councillors, Council officials, community organisations, youth services and other relevant stakeholders to develop a coordinated strategy ahead of Halloween 2027.
The Artane-Whitehall councillor said, “while Halloween should be an enjoyable time for families and communities, the level of damage and disruption witnessed across Dublin this year has been deeply concerning.”
“Our communities should not be left to deal with the aftermath of serious vandalism, dangerous bonfires and the destruction of public spaces and community facilities year after year,” she said.
“We do not yet know the full financial cost of the damage caused this Halloween, but we know that it will place a significant burden on Dublin City Council and ultimately on the public purse. More importantly, residents are left dealing with the consequences, and Council staff and emergency services are expected to respond to incidents that, in many cases, could have been anticipated and prevented.”
Henry said, “we cannot simply wait until next October to start thinking about how we are going to deal with these problems again; we need to start preparing now.”
“This taskforce will bring together the people and organisations who have a role to play in addressing these challenges. We need senior Garda representation, Council officials, elected representatives and those working on the ground in our communities to sit around the same table, examine what happened this year and develop a practical plan for next year.
She explained, “that plan must include better coordination, early intervention, the removal of hazardous materials, protection of public spaces, appropriate enforcement and meaningful engagement with young people and local communities.”
“I want to be clear that this is not about stopping people from enjoying Halloween. It is about ensuring that people can celebrate safely without communities being left to suffer the consequences of serious damage, anti-social behaviour and destruction.
“The passing of this motion is an important first step. We now need Dublin City Council to act on it without delay. We have almost twelve months to prepare for Halloween 2027, and we should use that time wisely.
“Our communities deserve better than another year of reactive responses. We need a properly coordinated and preventative approach, and this taskforce is an opportunity to deliver exactly that.”