Calls for CCTV in problem Mayo estates

A Mayo councillor has called for CCTV at certain housing estates in a bid to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Independent councillor Harry Barrett made the proposal at a meeting of Castlebar Municipal District and was backed by his fellow councillors.

He urged the local authority to engage with Approved Housing Bodies, An Garda Síochána and local residents to progress the installation of CCTV in estates. “We know there are estates in the town where anti-social behaviour is an issue. It has a devastating impact on certain families. There are stories of windows being broken, people intimidated, trees being broken, spray-painting on walls,” said Cllr Barrett.

"We have built some fantastic estates in this town with fantastic families living in them. There are a small, small minority of people who don’t respect what the council has done in providing them with a stable home and this has to stop,” he added.

Cllr Barrett said procedures and red table are making it very difficult to help the families who find themselves being the victims of this type of behaviour. “We now have to take this step where we identify an estate or estates where anti-social behaviour is a major issue, we go through the procedures, I know there is GDPR issue, I know to have to speak to An Garda Siochana, and approved housing bodies, but we have to get that agreement and start the process of putting in CCTV in these estates. Where number one, we have access to real-time data or recordings of evidence. I want a situation where no family feels intimidated or no family has their sleep disrupted, or no family is scared of the people living around them,” Cllr Barrett commented.

Cllr Michael Kilcoyne welcomed Cllr Barrett’s remarks but warned of the obstacles in place. He said ‘everything under the sun’ is happening in some estates but bureaucracy is leading to inaction. “The amount of red-tape is unbelievable. You practically have to knock a house down before you can get control of it.”