DART ‘brawl’ leads to call for special Garda transport unit

BOTH Irish Rail and the Department of Justice have said there are Garda structures in place to tackle anti-social behaviour on the city’s transport system.

It follows calls for the establishment of a specialised Garda unit dedicated to policing the capital’s infrastructure in the wake of a massive

“brawl

? on a northbound train at Salthill and Monkstown DART Station last Sunday week that saw services in both directions suspended for over 40 minutes.

A fight involving five people aged in their late teens and early twenties occurred just as the train was pulling into the station shortly after 9.30pm.

Gardai were called to the scene after a passenger alerted the driver to fighting in a carriage.

Passengers were moved into a different compartment of the train while gardaí dealt with the situation.

No commuters were caught up in the anti-social behaviour and a Garda spokesperson said a group of people were removed from the train but no arrests were made.

The disturbance led to calls for a dedicated Garda unit that would police the capital’s transport infrastructure.

Cllr Cormac Devlin (FF) said it was unacceptable that DART services could be held hostage by a group of thugs.

“The public have every right to expect a reliable service and feel secure as they go about their business,

? he said.

“I would like to commend Irish Rail staff and the gardaí for their handling of the issue. However, this disturbance should serve as a wake-up call for policy makers.

“This is not the first disturbance on the DART service this year. We regularly hear reports about the public feeling unsafe on the service, particularly at night time. While Irish Rail employ dedicated security, these staff do not have power of arrest or the other powers enjoyed by gardaí.

“I am calling on the Minister for Justice to establish a dedicated Garda Transport Unit that would police the capital’s transport infrastructure. The very presence of uniformed officers would prevent many minor issues occurring and would ensure more serious issues could be dealt with more quickly.

?

However, a spokesperson for the Minister for Justice said that instances of crime and anti-social behaviour are already monitored by local Garda management with the assistance of Garda Síochána Analysis Service, which results in periodic operations aimed at anti-social behaviour on and around public transport routes.

“The specific deployment of policing resources, including the question of establishing particular policing units is a matter for the Garda authorities,

? the spokesperson added.

“Insofar as the general approach to tackling these issues are concerned, the Minister is advised that Garda management engages extensively with transport operators.

“A range of regional and local operations have been put in place as required to address issues that have arisen at specific locations.

“There is effective communication with the respective control centres and access to good quality CCTV to provide assistance in the investigation of complaints.

?

A spokesperson for Irish Rail added that they work closely with the gardaí to ensure there is understanding of the railway environment and that issues are addressed quickly.

“We thank Cllr Devlin for his praise for our employees and gardaí,

? the spokesperson stated.

“Thousands upon thousands of people attended the Bray Air Show on Sunday, and this was the only incident of its kind.

“With over 600 train services on our network daily, and many others among other transport operators, it does not follow that the designation of a separate police unit would have changed the scenario as it unfolded.

“We increase our own security resources on our services at night time, and transport services are generally a safe environment, while obviously not immune to some anti-social behaviour.

“In both proactive planning, and reaction to incidents as they occur, our engagement with the gardaí continues to strengthen as we work to reduce such occurrences.

?