Drug use & crime in city centre

Vladimir Poontang

I think a thread on this is warranted in relation to what appears to be an upsurge of violent assaults in the city centre particularly in the cruises Street, Denmark street, William Street areas.

Not only that but I've noticed a dramatic surge in obvious heroin use on the streets.

Only last weekend I was exiting a popular restaurant around 11pm when I came across a junkie in the stairwell of the restaurant burning heroin on a sheet of tinfoil.

I also came across burnt tinfoil in the toilets in Arthur's Quay yesterday evening.

It is getting very bad in town now. What, if anything, is being done about it?

The Specialist

Vladimir Poontang wrote: »

I think a thread on this is warranted in relation to what appears to be an upsurge of violent assaults in the city centre particularly in the cruises Street, Denmark street, William Street areas.

Not only that but I've noticed a dramatic surge in obvious heroin use on the streets.

Only last weekend I was exiting a popular restaurant around 11pm when I came across a junkie in the stairwell of the restaurant burning heroin on a sheet of tinfoil.

I also came across burnt tinfoil in the toilets in Arthur's Quay yesterday evening.

It is getting very bad in town now. What, if anything, is being done about it?

Junkies gonna junkie - not sure what can be done about them except premises ensuring that they are secured enough to keep them out.

As for Cruises/Denmark & William Street - they have always been spots for violence, especially when the clubs empty and the guys who are UFC legends in their own minds spill out on to the streets. The area outside the Library (around Top Pizza) has nearly taken the crown from Abrakebabra for the amount of fights you can watch after 2am.

panda100

I live in and walk around the city all the time and never see any drug use or crime. Maybe I'm completly oblivious to these sort of things but can't say I see it at all. Was in Dublin during the week and was very evident there.

tototoe

Have never really come across it in Limerick. Definitely felt more prevalent in Dublin and more recently cork.

Of course a real deterrent across the board would be a few cops walking around the place, but that seems to be more than rare these days.

jonski

panda100 wrote: »

I live in and walk around the city all the time and never see any drug use or crime. Maybe I'm completly oblivious to these sort of things but can't say I see it at all. Was in Dublin during the week and was very evident there.

I would be the same as you but others tell me that Limerick just hides it well .

zulutango

Spend any bit of time on Upper Catherine Street / Catherine Place and you'll see it. Not quite sure why it's more apparent than before but it could be linked to the various drug treatment agencies increasing their services. Would the St. Vincent de Paul on Hartstonge Street dispense methadone these days?

dashoonage

#Batman.

Drug use isn't as obvious here as it is in the likes of Dublin but it certainly does exist. Take a walk down certain alleys/lanes near the train station and you will see the victims, or at least the remains of the stuff they use. I don't recommend it by the way.

I LOVE LIMERICK LIFE

zulutango wrote: »

Spend any bit of time on Upper Catherine Street / Catherine Place and you'll see it. Not quite sure why it's more apparent than before but it could be linked to the various drug treatment agencies increasing their services. Would the St. Vincent de Paul on Hartstonge Street dispense methadone these days?

No methadone can only be dispensed by a medical professional.

Heroine is plentyfull in Limerick and is the most profitable drug as, an addict will come back for another fix and another and another, all day long.

Catherine St, upper william st, mount kenneth there's no part of Limerick that is immune from the surge of heroin addiction and that's before you enter the suburbs of Limerick city.

kilburn

Meanwhile a garda is hiding behind his squad car trying to catch people over the speed limit between the greenhills and ivans... . .

Silentcorner

kilburn wrote: »

Meanwhile a garda is hiding behind his squad car trying to catch people over the speed limit between the greenhills and ivans... . .

I don't like to be critical of our Gardai, indeed, this city has a lot to be thankful for on that front...

However, you'll probably find that a high percentage of assaults occur at specific times of the week, are completely random (drink fuelled) and are all on the increase again across the state on account of our economic recovery, yet the presence of our Gardai does not reflect this....

As soon as you leave a club/pub, specifically in the hot spots, there should be a huge police presence, like you would see at a football match....but somehow, our Gardai do not police in that way....

Think of the amount of needless assaults that have occurred purely because there was no preventative measures taken...

kilburn

Silentcorner wrote:

I don't like to be critical of our Gardai, indeed, this city has a lot to be thankful for on that front...

Totally agree on that point but the emphasis is on revenue generation during the day with speedtraps, we have the traffic corp and go safe for that.

Would be a much better use of resources to walk around the city moving beggars and junkies on. Dealing with the groups of teenagers making peoples lives miserable with anti social behaviour.

tototoe

kilburn wrote: »

Totally agree on that point but the emphasis is on revenue generation during the day with speedtraps, we have the traffic corp and go safe for that.

Would be a much better use of resources to walk around the city moving beggars and junkies on. Dealing with the groups of teenagers making peoples lives miserable with anti social behaviour.

100% agree. A visual presence by the gardai is badly needed in town imo. Driving past in a squad car once in a while is not enough imo

Twelve Bar Blues

kilburn wrote: »

Totally agree on that point but the emphasis is on revenue generation during the day with speedtraps, we have the traffic corp and go safe for that.

Would be a much better use of resources to walk around the city moving beggars and junkies on. Dealing with the groups of teenagers making peoples lives miserable with anti social behaviour.

But just "moving people on" helps how?

YFlyer

The Specialist wrote: »

Junkies gonna junkie - not sure what can be done about them except premises ensuring that they are secured enough to keep them out.

As for Cruises/Denmark & William Street - they have always been spots for violence, especially when the clubs empty and the guys who are UFC legends in their own minds spill out on to the streets. The area outside the Library (around Top Pizza) has nearly taken the crown from Abrakebabra for the amount of fights you can watch after 2am.

William Street violent after clubs close? Its like a ghost town.

Mc Love

tototoe wrote: »

100% agree. A visual presence by the gardai is badly needed in town imo. Driving past in a squad car once in a while is not enough imo

There was an article in the leader about there being no major incidents to report in Rathkeale over the christmas period, and people were happy to see uniformed officers on the beat. Pity the Gov dont increase the garda numbers so that we might see the same on the streets of Limerick.

Vladimir Poontang

There have been a number of violent assaults by groups of youths on individuals in the city centre in recent weeks - Arthur's Quay, Denmark Street, Cruises Street and William Street. We are not talking late at night either, some happened in the evening. It was widely reported at the time and one incident involved a pregnant woman and her partner being set upon in the lane between cruises Street and William Street.

keane2097

It's a strange state of affairs where in half the threads we are told that the pubs are empty all the time and in the other half we are told about the multitudes filling the streets when the pubs close kicking the heads off one another.

Vladimir Poontang

keane2097 wrote: »

It's a strange state of affairs where in half the threads we are told that the pubs are empty all the time and in the other half we are told about the multitudes filling the streets when the pubs close kicking the heads off one another.

Depends on the night/pubs in question.

Student nights and on Sat night the Milk Market area is usually busy

Widdershins

Are there pubs/area you’d steer clear of?
I’m going out with one friend soon and we’re not that familiar with safer or less safe areas

DeWinterZero

kilburn wrote: »

Meanwhile a garda is hiding behind his squad car trying to catch people over the speed limit between the greenhills and ivans... . .

How many people die or are horribly injured by drugs in Ireland/Limerick every year vs traffic accidents?

Insect Overlord

Widdershins wrote: »

Are there pubs/area you’d steer clear of?
I’m going out with one friend soon and we’re not that familiar with safer or less safe areas

Town is pretty safe, really. You'll be grand in any of the well-known bars. Don't hang around on Cruise's Street in the dark, and don't spend any longer than necessary near the night clubs after closing time. Same advice as you'd get in any town in Ireland.

L.T.P.

Vladimir Poontang wrote: »

There have been a number of violent assaults by groups of youths on individuals in the city centre in recent weeks - Arthur's Quay, Denmark Street, Cruises Street and William Street. We are not talking late at night either, some happened in the evening. It was widely reported at the time and one incident involved a pregnant woman and her partner being set upon in the lane between cruises Street and William Street.

http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/home/292144/limerick-gardai-investigating-after-separate-late-night-assaults.html

More assaults...

Widdershins

Insect Overlord wrote: »

Town is pretty safe, really. You'll be grand in any of the well-known bars. Don't hang around on Cruise's Street in the dark, and don't spend any longer than necessary near the night clubs after closing time. Same advice as you'd get in any town in Ireland.

I think the pub she is thinking of is just down from Cruises Street..Nancy's. I'm not sure where else. Not clubs though.
But yes that's what I was thinking to myself, I was just unsure after reading this thread.
I've often walked up William St. and Little Catherine St. in the dark, and it seemed ok.
Thanks!

zulutango

As Irish city centres go Limerick is one of the safer ones I think.

Stab*City

I've walked all the streets at different times over the last 30 years and never felt scared. I've hung around after clubs many many times and never felt scared. It all depends if you scare easily i guess. Like anywhere if you look for trouble you will surely find it.

I can see a very visible increase of heroin around the city centre. This wouldn't be hard because there was none before. If you cant see it you don't know what to look for. I mean i found a fairly normal looking girl shooting up on the steps of the car park in the new dunnes the other day. This was at like 4 in the afternoon and i was with my kids.. There is a couple who use the stairwell of the spar shop on henry street to shoot up almost daily 50 meters from one of the biggest cop shops in the city.

Vladimir Poontang

Whether you feel scared or not isn't really a good barometer of the state of the place. The sizeable number of reported serious assaults in local media in recent weeks is perhaps a slightly better measuring stick.

Stab*City

Vladimir Poontang wrote: »

Whether you feel scared or not isn't really a good barometer of the state of the place. The sizeable number of reported serious assaults in local media in recent weeks is perhaps a slightly better measuring stick.

Its a good barometer for me.

Silentcorner

Vladimir Poontang wrote: »

Whether you feel scared or not isn't really a good barometer of the state of the place. The sizeable number of reported serious assaults in local media in recent weeks is perhaps a slightly better measuring stick.

That's probably where you are going wrong...

Cityslicker1

I think it's more the characters around the place that give it an edgy feel
The city centre has a very working class feel with the amount of tracksuits, hoop earrings, Rubber bandit accents, traditional chippers, pound shops etc etc

Last night I saw a guy walking a small pony down Davis street right across from the train station - No lie

So many people from the city and the surrounding areas are familiar with this & think it's normal and happens everywhere else - That's not the case

keane2097

You'd struggle to go a week without seeing someone on a horse trotting up Parnell Road along the Grand Canal at rush hour.

DaveNoCheese

I've lived and worked in and around the city for the last 7-8 years, I've always found the city centre very safe.

Having said that, I've had the apartment broken into by a junkie before, I've seen people shooting up in the stairwell of another 'secure' apartment block I lived in. I've lived beside a drug dealer who wasn't very subtle about it.

Drugs are a major issue around the city but if you're not looking for it, it's very easy to miss. I'm not sure if a higher Garda presence on the streets would have any affect on this but it would surely make the majority of the populace more comfortable.

zulutango

Some amount of decriminalisation, legalisation and regulation is probably the most effective way of dealing with the problem, as international research suggests. That's not going to happen any time soon though.

Vladimir Poontang

Silentcorner wrote: »

That's probably where you are going wrong...

Do you think they were made up? I've personally witnessed heroin use and reported two racist attacks to the Gardai in recent weeks myself for starters.

kilburn

DeWinterZero wrote:

How many people die or are horribly injured by drugs in Ireland/Limerick every year vs traffic accidents?

Not sure what your point is or if you have one ?

But i think everyone from limerick gets mine.......

Silentcorner

Vladimir Poontang wrote: »

Do you think they were made up? I've personally witnessed heroin use and reported two racist attacks to the Gardai in recent weeks myself for starters.

No not made up....amplified...in this city, all manner of assaults are reported in local press completely unnecessary...its never changed anything...apart from terrifying readers...

Vladimir Poontang

I'm more bothered by the things I've witnessed first hand than anything I've read in the Leader.

While certain parts of town are quite pleasant now, others, such as the Cruises Street/Denmark Street/Market Quarter area seems to be in a downward spiral.

It's dirty, grotty, full of beggars and junkies and dodgy as fcuk after dark.

brianregan09

Parked today just around the corner of Smyths outside Angel Lane and had some junkie bang on my window and spout a load of ununderstandable dribble , told him to F off and off he went banging on the door of that Lyric Fm place across the road , Lucky I had my doors locked

City is ridiculous and why I avoid it most times

landmarkjohn

There are certainly black spots.... at the bridge near Grove Island my daughter was mugged at at 15:00 walking home for her phone and purse and at the same spot a few years later my son came across a bunch of feral scum as he walked home in the early hours and ended up getting 57 stitches from being brought to ground stabbed repeatedly with a broken glass bottle. Absolutely random.

Only for his friend who had initially ran away came back when he saw how badly he was getting done, and in fact knew some of the perpetrators, and managed to pull him out of it he was a goner. Both fit strong rugby players but if you come across the wrong people late at night it's bad news. No prosecutions, threat of repercussions and intimidation suggested chalking it down to experience was the better route.

Stops me socialising in the city apart from the odd gig in Dolans.

Phoenix Wright

landmarkjohn wrote:

There are certainly black spots.... at the bridge near Grove Island my daughter was mugged at at 15:00 walking home for her phone and purse and at the same spot a few years later my son came across a bunch of feral scum as he walked home in the early hours and ended up getting 57 stitches from being brought to ground stabbed repeatedly with a broken glass bottle. Absolutely random.

Sorry to hear that, it's scum like those that drag Limerick down. Was that the Athlunkard Bridge or by the Pa Healy Road?

landmarkjohn

Phoenix Wright wrote: »

Sorry to hear that, it's scum like those that drag Limerick down. Was that the Athlunkard Bridge or by the Pa Healy Road?

Athlunkard Bridge. That area is a cross route between town and Corbally and the Island.

As I say a dangerous area by our experience, especially late at night and to be avoided on foot.

zulutango

That's a horrific experience. I know a young lad who was badly beaten in that very same spot a few years ago and had his phone robbed for good measure. Right by the bridge. So, it does seem to be a blackspot for it alright. By contrast, I think the city centre is pretty quiet. I'm living here and thankfully have never come across anything violent like that. But there is a large increase in begging from folks with addiction issues. I'd say your experience is more a case of young lads in groups picking on easy prey both for sport and to get hold of a phone worth five or six hundred euro. They may well be high on something but I wouldn't imagine they are robbing to feed an addiction.

kilburn

They hang out beside the boat club on the river walk path its an easy escape route with no CCTV.

Sadly Corbally is starting to go downhill lately and the increase in anti social behaviour is worrying.

Vladimir Poontang

More random attacks

https://www.limerickleader.ie/news/home/293201/group-of-friends-attacked-while-queuing-for-taxi-in-limerick-city-centre.html

Mc Love

Vladimir Poontang wrote: »

More random attacks

https://www.limerickleader.ie/news/home/293201/group-of-friends-attacked-while-queuing-for-taxi-in-limerick-city-centre.html

The one on Robert St was probably due to drink seeing as it was close to the closing of the late bars and clubs in the area. Hard to say if it was random if the attacked victims had done something to the other crowd.

The other on Little Ellen st is random though, fecking knacks

Cityslicker1

Must be the pony I mentioned in a previous post

https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/banter/watch-boy-rides-shetland-pony-into-limerick-bookmakers-as-shocked-punters-look-on-36507202.html

I think a major problem with Limerick is the amount of social housing

The city centre is surrounded by dodgy areas - by the train station, by the castle, Roxborough rd, near the jail, back of Frank Hogan cars on the Dublin road, by Thomond Park etc etc - Just everywhere

The only area I would consider living that is of close proximity is around Mary I - other than that I would choose one of the suburbs Castletroy or Dooradoyle

Every town & city has a couple of rough estates but for a city the size of Limerick it has way to many council estates in every direction - The demand was obviously there

zulutango

This is all pretty bad. If the city doesn't get a handle on this kind of thing it will severely damage it. It's one thing to have a bad reputation, it's quite another to have a bad reputation that can't be refuted.

dominatinMC

landmarkjohn wrote: »

There are certainly black spots.... at the bridge near Grove Island my daughter was mugged at at 15:00 walking home for her phone and purse and at the same spot a few years later my son came across a bunch of feral scum as he walked home in the early hours and ended up getting 57 stitches from being brought to ground stabbed repeatedly with a broken glass bottle. Absolutely random.

Only for his friend who had initially ran away came back when he saw how badly he was getting done, and in fact knew some of the perpetrators, and managed to pull him out of it he was a goner. Both fit strong rugby players but if you come across the wrong people late at night it's bad news. No prosecutions, threat of repercussions and intimidation suggested chalking it down to experience was the better route.

Stops me socialising in the city apart from the odd gig in Dolans.

Christ, that story is horrific, sorry that you had to experience such an ordeal. You'd be tempted to set-up a vigilante group to deal with these scumbags! Sometimes the law just isn't enough

seachto7

landmarkjohn wrote: »

There are certainly black spots.... at the bridge near Grove Island my daughter was mugged at at 15:00 walking home for her phone and purse and at the same spot a few years later my son came across a bunch of feral scum as he walked home in the early hours and ended up getting 57 stitches from being brought to ground stabbed repeatedly with a broken glass bottle. Absolutely random.

Only for his friend who had initially ran away came back when he saw how badly he was getting done, and in fact knew some of the perpetrators, and managed to pull him out of it he was a goner. Both fit strong rugby players but if you come across the wrong people late at night it's bad news. No prosecutions, threat of repercussions and intimidation suggested chalking it down to experience was the better route.

Stops me socialising in the city apart from the odd gig in Dolans.

I know this same thing was said to people by the Gardai. The feral scumbags should be shot. The law know who it is, but can't seem to prove it, or be able to do anything about it.

zulutango

seachto7 wrote: »

I know this same thing was said to people by the Gardai. The feral scumbags should be shot. The law know who it is, but can't seem to prove it, or be able to do anything about it.

Or they're possibly not motivated to do anything about it.

Brian Lighthouse

Cityslicker1 wrote: »

Must be the pony I mentioned in a previous post

https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/banter/watch-boy-rides-shetland-pony-into-limerick-bookmakers-as-shocked-punters-look-on-36507202.html

I think a major problem with Limerick is the amount of social housing

The city centre is surrounded by dodgy areas - by the train station, by the castle, Roxborough rd, near the jail, back of Frank Hogan cars on the Dublin road, by Thomond Park etc etc - Just everywhere

The only area I would consider living that is of close proximity is around Mary I - other than that I would choose one of the suburbs Castletroy or Dooradoyle

Every town & city has a couple of rough estates but for a city the size of Limerick it has way to many council estates in every direction - The demand was obviously there

I'm surprised you can still enter the town at all without some feudal lord demanding a tithe from you with the description you've given.

You've just taken one big tar brush and dragged it around the entire city.

Well done you.