Policing plan agreed for Halloween after fireworks lit in Blackrock
Cllr Maeve Yore met with stakeholders including Blackrock Tidy Towns to agree policing plan ahead of Halloween following reports children are already setting off fireworks
Dundalk South’s Councillor Maeve Yore has said that following meetings with An Garda Síochána and community stakeholders in Blackrock a policing plan for the area in the run up to Halloween, with the news that Gardaí have already received reports of children as young as 11 letting off fireworks in Blackrock Park.
Cllr Yore said that following several community stakeholder meetings with herself and An Garda Síochána Louth over the last year, “Sgt Ronan Carroll from Blackrock Station met with a number of Community Group, Residents Association Representatives, and Blackrock Tidy Towns in Blackrock Park, to discuss and agree Gardai Policing Plans for the area in the run up to Halloween”.
The Independent councillor said that the aim is to ensure everyone gets to “enjoy a safe Halloween in Blackrock and other areas and to raise awareness that the purchase and setting off of fireworks is not only illegal but very dangerous”.
Cllr Yore has revealed that Gardaí have already received reports of unsupervised teens, and children as young as 11 letting off fireworks in Blackrock Park.
Advising the public in the Blackrock area of the plan for the lead up to Halloween, Cllr Yore said that: “An Garda Siochana Louth will be increasing patrols in hotspots such as Blackrock Park in the run up to Halloween. saying, ‘Parents, your children are your responsibility, so please ensure that you know where they are and be sure that they are not involved in the illegal use of fireworks!
‘We're sure you'd rather have trick or treaters and not us calling to your homes on Halloween night. JLO sanctions for those caught in possession of fireworks may be issued.’”