A resident of Saggart has been provided with an incident log for the asylum accommodation centre at Citywest. The seven page document from the Department of Justice was received yesterday and includes a list of 170 incidents that took place in the centre between January 1 and June 30.
Three of the incidents are redacted with a reference to the Gardaí presumably having been called and a criminal inquiry established.
Among the specific incidents recorded are multiple acts of aggression, assault, theft, vandalism, and drug possession.
More than 60 incidents of aggression are listed in the 6 month period, with both aggression from asylum seekers towards staff, and aggression between asylum seekers recorded, in an almost even split.
The report also showed an incident of an asylum claimant assaulting a staff member, while there were 19 cases of assault involving between 2 and 4 asylum seekers assaulting each other.
In one act of vandalism, an asylum claimant ‘broke a wall panel’, the report released under FOI says.
Thefts of phones, clothes and money including one theft of €800 are listed amongst the incidents. Drugs have been confiscated and a “dirty needle” found on the premises.
There were 50 reports of “trespass” related to the discovery of males in the hotel who were not residents.
Local people believe that in some cases these are homeless former IPAS residents who are no longer in direct provision and who attempt to stay in the hotel.
The information follows a report in the Irish Daily Mail last weekend on violent incidents there.
The information in the Daily Mail report would suggest that someone in the Department provided them with the log that was requested by the resident before it was released to her.
Last week, we reported on another Freedom of Information request which led to the release of a HSE inspection report that detailed the high risk associated with health issues that have arisen over the past three years in Citywest.
That information revealed that the HSE has said there is a high risk of the “spread of infectious diseases” from the Citywest centre.
Independent Ireland Councillor, Linda de Courcy, has asked South Dublin County Council to take enforcement proceedings against the owners and managers of the Citywest accommodation centre on foot of the reports including the incident log, related to the reports of aggression, theft, assault and drug use contained in the FOI report released yesterday.
Apart from the reports of incidents that have taken place inside Citywest local people have experienced ongoing problems caused by residents of the accommodation centre.
This led the local primary school St. Mary’s to contact parents asking them to report any “suspicious activity” to the Gardaí or to the school.
Locals in the area around Citywest have repeatedly objected to Government plans to turn Citywest hotel into a permanent asylum hub. At one meeting, residents spoke about safety concerns and said that such concerns were not being listened to.
In April, information released to commentator Nick Delehanty in regard to 3 IPAS centres in Kilbride Barracks, Crooksling, and Eblana Avenue in Dún Laoghaire, revealed “multiple incidents of physical violence, aggression and threats against staff, claims of arson, psychotic episodes which left other residents in ‘fear of their lives’, Garda call outs in relation to fires, and much more – all within a four month period”.