Motion: Councillor J. Newman
“That the Chief Executive provides the necessary resources to ensure that we have a
park warden allocated to the Swords Park to provide some security to park users and
visitors alike.
The park is well used and a great facility to have. Unfortunately recently a couple of
foreign visitors were attacked and mugged in the park on a Sunday afternoon,
resulting in injuries to the visitors as well as Gardai.
Given that we are trying to be awarded a Purple flag and encourage tourism it is
imperative we take all necessary actions to make people feel safe in their Town”
Report:
The Operations Department is aware that some visitors to Swords Town Park recently were
the unfortunate victims of robbery, and a resulting assault carried out outside the Town Park.
This matter is currently the subject of a Garda investigation and Fingal County Council has
made any CCTV footage from outside the Town Park (at Swords Castle) available to the
Gardai as part of their investigation.
The Ranger Service provided by the Local Authority is not fixed to any specific location,
rather it is a Mobile Ranger Service which is flexible and can be easily deployed to different
locations. Mobile Rangers are not authorised to act as law enforcement officers other than to
highlight any breaches of Bye-Laws in the areas they patrol. Robbery and assault are not
matters which are dealt with under Bye-Laws.
It should be noted that Swords Town Park is considered to be a very safe park for members of
the public to visit, it is in a central location, has clear sightlines and visibility, is very well
used with a regular footfall and a number of entrances and exits. This unfortunate incident
should be considered an exception, and should in no way impact on visitors to the Town Park