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Gang of af approx twenty or thirty got off the train from Balbriggan yesterday (second day in a row) at approx 6.35 p.m.Vast majority non nationals and looking for a fight.Some of them were carrying sticks,shouting and playing a boom box very loud.A group of teenage girls were waiting for them outside SuperValue.The gang then chased a rival group in the direction of the all weather pitches.My two young kids were frightned and we left the Village asap.The Guards responded very quickly and were there within five minutes.I've no problem with teens congregating in the village but this gang (and that's what they are) are vicious and intent on trouble.They are not locals and somebody is going to be seriously injured.To prevent a summer of this,people should ring the Guards every time they see them.

They sound like right scrotes Bernie.

Scroates.

I was getting on the train with my wife and they were getting off, they were loud bullying and aggressive playing this boom box full volume and the song was "niggers on the warpath" or something very close to that. I was thinking where I was raised they would have been met with swift justice, they tried to intimidate anyone getting on the train as they stormed off and we were all to run for cover apparently, well I stood my ground and kept my eyes fixed on the one with the biggest mouth, knocking his block off would have been a good start to their evening

Bernie1 wrote:Gang of af approx twenty or thirty got off the train from Balbriggan yesterday (second day in a row) at approx 6.35 p.m.Vast majority non nationals and looking for a fight.Some of them were carrying sticks,shouting and playing a boom box very loud.A group of teenage girls were waiting for them outside SuperValue.The gang then chased a rival group in the direction of the all weather pitches.My two young kids were frightned and we left the Village asap.The Guards responded very quickly and were there within five minutes.I've no problem with teens congregating in the village but this gang (and that's what they are) are vicious and intent on trouble.They are not locals and somebody is going to be seriously injured.To prevent a summer of this,people should ring the Guards every time they see them.

Given that they were loud and aggressive..surely some station staff from Babriggan Station heard and saw them.?
Could they not have contacted the Guards or am I missing something.?

This has been going on for quite some time and is going to continue.They are hanging around the train station in the evenings and it's very intimidating.Only way to sort it is to ring Swords G.S everytime they appear and report you concerns at the Garda Clinic.I'm well capable of looking after myself but this gang have absolutely no fear.

Good on ya Davidp. This is beyond ridiculous, one of our local kids is going to get a hiding someday, we the community have to sort this out, zero tolerance is required. Why do we tolerate this i for one dont want to see my community my village become a no go zone after a certain hour. The men/fathers of the community need to gather together and move them on, a show of strenght. Divided we fall united we stand.

Getting off the 19:13 from Pearce St on Wednesday last week, the newer trains with only a single door at each end of the carriage, I was putting my bag on my shoulder whilst exiting the train when one young lad walked straight into my elbow instead of letting me get off the train first.
There must have been at least 10 teens getting on to go north.
I just carried on walking, pushing him back onto the platform, elbow in face.

I got jostled about a little by a few of the teens that I assume were with him, but a quick spin around, hitting them with my laptop bag to the lower waist and they got the hint and backed off.

I could hear laughs within the group as I shrugged it off and walked to the exit of the station.

So many teens in one place can be very intimidating for the lesser confident person and they can probably see that and take advantage.
Especially when in a group and have backup from others in the group.
They may also get egged on.

When I see groups of teens that could be a problem, I have a tendency to have my phone unlocked with the camera and flash on, ready to press.
A flash light in the face can stun for a few seconds if in a position where you find yourself being attacked, especially at night.
If you've set your pictures to backup to cloud like I have, doesn't matter if they steal or break your phone, you have a picture of the assailants.

Defcom is right, something needs to be done.
I'm not sure all the men/fathers getting together would be a good idea as it could end up worse.

Let the Garda deal with it.
If not happy with that, we could band together and get CCTV ourselves.
If my property overlooked the high street, I'd have a webcam pointed out the window, but it does not so I do not

Hi,understand exactly how you feel.Unfortunately,society has moved on,if you laid a finger upon any of them,you'd have the Daly/Wallace/Mc Verry faction on your trail.The Vigilante approach is admirable but you're own if/when it hits the fan.We all pay taxes and it's up to the state to protect us.These individuals are basically guests of the nation.

Bernie1 lets get real who exactly is going to protect us ?, there's been enough happening already and nobody has stepped up. i have it from a good source the garda are up to there eyes in other communities, However i do think every incident should be reported, the Garda needs also to be aware that we are tired of this carry on, if we care enough to organise ourselves i think that sends a very clear message to the Garda and the powers that be. This is a problem not just in Donabate, and if our actions starts a national debate great. There's a series of TV and Radio Ads on at the moment for domestic violence in which either a man or a women is being bullied or abused, at the end of the Ads the Voice Over explains if you witness an abuse and do nothing to help, you are being complicit (i'm paraphrasing of course). in my book a middle aged women or man getting off a train and being spat at or pushed or abused, or a young lad being beat up as he waits for a bus in the village is exactly the same as those Ads, We have to act.

.

Bagzy I'm Homer

Well, not an isolated incident. Happening all along the train lines, teens with nothing to do and all day to do it. Intimidating presence when these are in such large numbers, generally full of cowards but still some whom want to show leadership "gain respect" that might result in an incident for some poor innocent individual.
Garda resources are over stretched, kids know it so they play on it. Likelihood of a prosecution for an assault from one of these gangs slim.
Not good no matter what the outcome, sad to see this developing in the area.

Bit surprised nobody commented on my previous post that if this gang - some with sticks - got on the train in Balbriggan no station staff contacted the Gardai ?

Also the train driver has to see who is getting on so as to safely close the doors...surely he or she can see a large gang getting on ..some with sticks ..and alert the gardai.

This garda resources stretched whine is pissing me off big time ...the whole system is so bureaucratic and loaded against the victim that the cops don't want to know.

Agree with previous poster re the Daly / McVerry / Coppinger crowd would be on your back if you touched one of these scrotes...throw in the "just a few kids havin fun" brigade also to that mix.

Contact your politicians those overpaid bloated folk who are there to represent you and DEMAND action...!!

So what where saying is, if this gang decide to pick you out of the crowd ( and i mean anyone of us ). Your just supposed to take it because there considered kids ?. Everybodys attitude seems to be leave it to somebody else, leave it to the garda, leave it to the politicians. Open your eyes Its up to the community.

I agree with Defcom. MTV used to have an environmental slogan:
"If you're not part of the solution you're part of the problem."

Apparently stuff in village today from non donabate youths. Balbriggan.cops came.someone in van attacked.
Not 100% confirmed.

Any facts?

Kids are telling me adult male attacked in village by gang of teenagers not from area ??

Doesn't bode well for the summer does it. This is not good.

I came upon yesterday evening's situation. I also got home on the train that gets in about 7.45pm a couple of weeks back when Gardaí were also at the station. What I saw yesterday evening was most alarming - and based on what people are saying here, I didn't see the worst of it.

I saw two Gardaí arriving at the station to deal with a very serious public order situation involving a significant number of people. That in itself is ridiculous. A group of teenagers then ran up the steps from the northbound platform, over the bridge and into Scrumdiddlys. It seems the Gardaí did detain a couple of lads.

We have to call this situation for what it is too. We are talking here about a gang of black African youths in the main and the suggestion is that they are from Balbriggan. Why are they coming to Donabate? There must be a reason - why not Skerries, Malahide or Howth Junction?? Three black youths ran across the bridge as I was crossing but there was one clearly Irish girl with them. What really alarmed me is that one of the lads was holding onto something in his pocket and to me it had the outline of a knife.

We need answers fast here and we need our politicians in to bat for us and to put our desire to live in peace ahead of any other factors - including niceties regarding the ethnic origin of those involved. If you don't deal with every aspect of a problem, you clearly won't deal with the problem. Are they seeking trouble with youths of the same ethnic origin in Donabate? There's always talk of the Nigerian 'community' etc. in a positive vein but clearly there needs to be a similar onus placed on them to control their young people and respect the country that has taken them in when this nonsense kicks off. And clearly, Irish Rail have a serious responsibility here to police their trains and stations in cooperation with the Gardaí. But really, two Gardaí in an ordinary Garda car to deal with a gang of youths - many of whom just scarpered. The thugs must be laughing them out of it and in one sense who could blame them? You can't fight that kind of thing with such a pathetic response.

At last somebody picking up on my point that Irish rail staff should see these gangs getting on the trains and notify the guardai.
Unfortunately Irish Rail stations are staffed in the main by uninterested pencil lickers who could not give a toss who gets on the train as long as it it does upset their cosy existence.

Gang gets on train in Ballbriggan...Irish Rail staff notify cops ....train locked ..until it gets to wherever ...guards meet train ...search and arrest any body carrying a weapon and throw the fcukin book at them.

Do a forensic examination of their parents social claims ..car tax tv license...dog license etc etc.

But thats joined up thinking...Paddy dosen't do joined up .....mores the pity.

PS Agree with the point that the local slugs .....the guys and gals YOU elect should be put under pressure.....big pressure .

John Blowick said 'PS Agree with the point that the local slugs .....the guys and gals YOU elect should be put under pressure.....big pressure .

I presume that you meant to say '....the guys and gals WE elect'? and call me old fashioned, but I find that being courteous to people rather than insulting them in a public forum generally tends to get a better response from them!!!!!!!

The vast majority of bad incidents reported on this forum (burglaries, violence, intimidation) are perpetrated by white Irish people. I've yet to read someone specify skin colour in these incidents. It's the definition of racism to negatively single out one race and/or ethnicity when a whole variety of people are contributing to local problems. Also, these black young people are as likely to be black Irish as black anything else. (I've never heard Phil Lynott, Paul McGrath, Cyrus Christie or Ruth Negga referred to as "black African"). There's an increasingly serious problem to deal with in the village - let's not lose our heads. Andy

They might well be scumbags, sounds that way, but the colour of their skin or their country of origin has nothing to do with it - there is plenty of diversity on that front.
That they see Donabate as worth making a special trip to just to cause trouble is very worrying. I'd suggest phone bombing the guards and the TDs about tthis. SuperValu and the management of the shopping centre need to take some responsibility for dispersing the gangs using their facilities as well.

Just to reiterate that we check our emotions here. I know the poster above was describing what they saw on that occasion. However, let's not move this in the direction of a race issue when it's clearly not. We've all seen various trouble makers around the village be they local or from other areas and race doesn't come into it.

We have a diverse community in Donabate which I believe makes it a better place. Let's make sure we all stick together as a community to fight this through the Guards and our local representatives.