Gardaí asked to monitor Tuam park for anti-social behaviour

Gardaí and Galway County Council have been asked to monitor a park in Tuam which has become a magnet for ‘unbecoming behaviour’ involving teenagers late at night.

One local councillor said he had been inundated with complaints over activities that are taking place in the Palace Grounds in Tuam after dark.

And Cllr Joe Sheridan wants both Gardaí and the local authority to monitor the area on a regular basis – specifically one of the park benches which has become a focal point for the teens.

“There are a lot of unsavoury antics going on,” the Fianna Fail councillor told the Connacht Tribune. “There are gangs of youths assembling there late at night.”

He said that there is a bench located within the view of those using the nearby swimming pool where a lot of the activities are taking place.

“There are teenagers who are assembling there on a regular basis and their behaviour is nothing short of shocking. I fear the worst for some of these young people that are involved.

“Even people walking the grounds are being harassed on a regular basis and that is why I want the area patrolled on a regular basis,” Cllr Sheridan added.

The issue also came before a meeting of Tuam Municipal Council when it was stated that the bench in question, located in one of Tuam’s scenic areas, has been described as an eyesore due to illegal dumping.

Cllr Colm Keaveney said that despite CCTV at both the Palace Grounds and at the bottle and clothes banks nearby, dumping persisted.

“It has become a domestic dump and I can’t understand why people are not being prosecuted. On Monday morning, it was overflowing with domestic waste. Surely we can find out who’s doing it and start prosecuting,” he said.

Cllr Sheridan supported his FF colleague adding that there was also a lot of anti-social behaviour and ‘unbecoming behaviour’ of young ladies and gentlemen taking place on the bench at the Palace Grounds.

He described this bench as the ‘centre point’ for late night gatherings and asked if this could be stopped. Council officials said that they would investigate the claims.