GARDAÍ HAVE LAUNCHED an investigation after a man and woman were attacked by a group of youths on St Patrick’s night at Marlfield Lawns in Tallaght, south Dublin.

A man, in his 30s, and a woman, in her late teens, were injured during the assault involving a group of “unidentified individuals”, gardaí said.

The man was taken to Tallaght University Hospital for treatment of his non-serious injuries.

“No arrests have been made at this stage, and investigations are ongoing,” a garda spokesperson said.

Marlfield Lawns and its surrounding areas have been dealing with several incidences of anti-social behaviour, which local councillors say have increased during the pandemic.

“Maybe it’s the boredom of the lockdown, but there was anti-social behaviour here before. To combat it we need more gardaí on the streets. That’s the biggest thing,” local Sinn Féin Councillor Dermot Richardson said.

“But it’s an issue around the country, it’s not just in Tallaght,” he added.

Richardson said a number of his constituents have been in touch about anti-social incidents in their areas recently, with teenagers the cause of most complaints.

“I think there is an onus on parents to know where their children are at night time… but ultimately we need more garda patrols on the street and more resources in the area.”

Fine Gael Councillor Baby Pereppadan says he has written to the Minister for Justice seeking a second garda station for the Tallaght area.

An issue that is due to be raised at Monday’s Area Committee by Fianna Fáil Councillor Charlie O’Connor is the concern of the community in Kingswood over the continued practice of servicing the area from garda stations in Clondalkin and Tallaght.

O’Connor is asking that the Chief Executive write to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to raise the communities concerns and to ask “if this is a good use of garda resources”.

In response to a parliamentary question on the issue last October, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said she was informed by gardaí that there are regular patrols in both areas by uniform and plain-clothes personnel, including the community policing and garda mountain bike units, district detective unit and drug unit personnel, which are supplemented by the burglary response units and roads policing units.

“I am assured that local garda management closely monitor the aforementioned patrols and other operational strategies in place, in conjunction with crime trends and policing needs of the communities in these areas to ensure optimum use of garda resources and that current structures in place meet the requirements needed to deliver an effective and efficient policing service to the residents concerned. The situation is kept under constant review.”

“I understand that a collaborative policing plan is in the process of being implemented by Local Garda Management responsible for both the Tallaght and Clondalkin areas,” said McEntee.