Foul play at playgrounds

Parents and children are being verbally abused at playground facilities around the county by unruly youths.

The allegation was made by Independent Councillor Brendan Fay at the July meeting of the Cavan Belturbet Municipal District Authority.

He highlighted one occasion where parents, who asked youths using the swings and general play equipment to move on, were subjected to a tirade of foul language.

In recent times, Cllr Fay was involved in the clean-up of one such playground, where young people had camped out and left a mess behind them.

“I had to personally go to one playground and dismantle a tent and take away masks and beer containers and the gardaí were notified,” Cllr Fay told his fellow elected members.

Describing this anti-social behaviour as “a big problem”, Cllr Fay said, once again, it is a minority of people who are spoiling the enjoyment of excellent facilities for families and leaving parents and children left feeling intimidated.

Cllr Fay suggested that signage – indicating that camping and drinking alcohol was prohibited at such amenities – might deter such activity.

The Executive Engineer for the MD, Paul Mulligan, said that, if signs were deemed appropriate, they would have to be erected at all public playgrounds in the county and not just one.

“I don’t know what impact signage may have,” he said.

The Director of Services, Brendan Jennings, said he would have doubts about the impact of signage. “Those who don’t want to read it, won’t read it. That does not say that we should not endeavour to get the right message or slogan, to get people to think,” he remarked.

Mr Jennings suggested that an online/social media campaign could also feed into the initiative. “It is all about respecting people – their space and respecting others,” he said.

Fianna Fáil’s Patricia Walsh agreed that a “catchy” slogan to deter such behaviour might help and was worth “trying to solve the problem”.

Fine Gael’s Peter McVitty felt that parental supervision of children at playgrounds is a must.

“If you bring young kids to a playground, parents should be with them. There is no point in sending youngsters into a playground and walking away from it, to a supermarket, and then come back after leaving them there. The father or the mother should be with them all the time,” said the Ballyconnell representative.

“If parents are with children and these individuals are acting the blackguard and calling them names or whatever, they should make a serious report about the matter to the Gardaí straight away and it will be dealt with,” he further suggested.

“These incidents are then recorded and, if gardaí go out on foot patrol around those playgrounds, there will be results and it will work. There is a small amount of people engaging in this type of behaviour,” added Cllr McVitty.

Cllr John Paul Feeley (FF) said the parents and guardians of the teenagers involved need to take some responsibility.

“It’s a very sad reflection too on the families of the teenagers involved in some cases - that they do not know how to conduct themselves and that they don’t know how to treat other children and that they can’t see that they have to share,” lambasted Cllr Feeley.

In relation to signage, Cllr Feeley remarked “nothing ventured – nothing gained!”

Cllr Fay suggested the erection of catchy signage would, at least, let people know that this behaviour won’t be tolerated.