Call for caution over Hallowe’en

ENNIS gardaí and the Clare Fire Service are asking people to be exercise caution in their Hallowe’en activities this coming weekend.
In recent weeks, members of the Ennis Community Police have been visiting primary and secondary schools throughout the town informing pupils on the dangers and laws surrounding bonfires and the use of fireworks, firebangers and other Hallowe’en firecrackers.
The scheme was run by the local community garda in conjunction with the Clare Fire Service as part of the Operation Tombola, the national campaign that aims at clamping down on bonfires and the use of fireworks at Hallowe’en.
Ennis town community garda Deirdre O’Doherty said that all involved were very happy with how the school’s programme went in the lead-up to the school mid-term break.
“The aim of the programme was to increase awareness of the dangers associated with bonfires, fireworks and firebangers at Hallowe’en. We want everyone to have fun at Hallowe’en, but we are encouraging all involved to be careful, to consider their own and other’s safety and to remember the laws about using any fire or explosive item,” she commented.
The gardaí and the fire service stressed to school pupils that adults must supervise all bonfires and that bonfires must only be lit in an open area, a good distance away from any buildings.
“We explained that, essentially, bonfires are illegal, but at the end of the day we know that there are going to be bonfires every Hallowe’en, so what we want and expect is for people to be careful and sensible.
“The fire service explained that if they are called out to a bonfire and there is any kind of a danger with that fire they will put it out. They spoke about previous situations where firefighters were attacked with stones when they were trying to put out bonfires.
“We encouraged that the fire service must not be hindered in doing their jobs and that such behaviour is completely unacceptable,” Garda O’Doherty said.
They also explained to pupils that there are strict laws about the use of fireworks and that people must have a licence to use them.
“If someone is using fireworks and doesn’t have a licence for them, gardaí will seize them. They are dangerous items if the users have no experience, so as always caution must be exercised. In terms of fire bangers, we pointed out that they are explosives and that people, especially children, can be badly hurt if they are not used carefullly.
“There is a trend where firebangers are thrown in through people’s letterboxes, into shops and businesses. This is a nuisance for people inside premises, but it is also dangerous as they can cause a fire, or hurt someone,” she added.
The community gardaí also asked children in the schools to keep their pets indoors, as animals become distressed with firebangers going off.
“We also encouraged them to look out for their elderly family members or neighbours. It can be an upsetting time for elderly people living on their own and we asked the pupils to consider them in any activity they do and where possible to spend some time with them over Hallowe’en to make sure they are alright. It is particularly distressing for elderly people to have something like a firebanger thrown through their letter box, so it’s important that children do not do this,” Garda O’Doherty stressed.
Another issue they discussed with children was the matter of road safety while they are out trick-or-treating.
“It is lovely for children to go out trick-or-treating, but mainly children go out when it is dark and because a lot of their dress-up costumes are dark, it can be very hard for motorists to see them.
“We would ask them to wear something that is clearly visible, even a high-vis strip, and to walk on the paths all of the time. With all of the excitement of Hallowe’en, people can forget road safety, and accidents can easily happen. The last thing we want is a child to be injured while they out trick-or-treating.
“We also stressed to secondary school students to bring their younger siblings out to make sure that they are safe,” she said.
The community policing unit of Ennis gardaí are expecting Hallowe’en activities all weekend, even though Hallowe’en is not until Sunday. All of the community gardaí are working over the weekend to ensure safety as much as possible around the town.
The gardaí involved in Operation Tombola in Ennis were Sergeant Frank Naughton and Gardaí Deirdre O’Doherty, Denis Collins, Cyril Page, Alison Shortt and Albert Hardiman. The representatives of the Clare Fire Service were firefighters David Wood and sub-fire officer Frank Gormley.
Garda O’Doherty has been the community garda in Ennis town for the past 18 months. As part of her brief she does hospital watch, business watch, all of the town centre, all residential areas in the Ennis town centre area, the youth centre, the Holy Family School and Coláiste Muire.
“It is important for me and all the people I serve to build up a relationship so we can help each other. A lot of what I do involves the town’s youth and elderly. The main issues of concern to businesses in the town are petty thefts and anti-social behaviour particularly in the laneways of Ennis,” she explained.
“One of the things I’m very concerned about is the safety of elderly walking through the town on the narrow paths. It is very difficult for them. I would ask people, especially younger people to use their common sense and make way for others on the footpaths.”
Another issue that comes up regularly with people, she said, is general road safety, particularly that of pedestrians and cyclists.
“Where they are available, people should use footpaths to walk on, and cyclists should use cycle lanes. For those out walking in the winter evening, I would encourage them to stick to public areas that are well-lit up with some level of activity. The community policing section of Ennis Garda station can provide high-vis jackets for people who want to go walking or cycling in the winter especially,” she added.
Garda O’Doherty has been calling into businesses in the town in recent weeks discussing different issues that are of concern to them.
“I’m also building up links with residents associations around the town. I’m finding that there aren’t really enough residents associations, so I’m encouraging more people to get involved in this capacity in their local areas. The main issues that residents are raising with me are abandoned cars, rubbish and illegal dumping, anti-social behaviour and amenities for teenagers,” she explained.
She is encouraging people to phone her on 6848100 if there any policing or local issues that they’d like to raise with her.