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“Fianna Fail Senator Fiona O’Loughlin has told the Seanad that “a gang of marauding youths, some of whom are as young as ten” have been involved in a sustained campaign of anti-social vandalism in Newbridge with one recent incident involving a young mother with a small baby being deliberately targeted on the streets of the Kildare town.
The senator raised the case in the Seanad last Tuesday. It has reignited concern over what local businesses say is a long‑running pattern of escalating anti‑social behaviour by gangs of children who “are making Newbridge their own.”
The concerns raised in the Seanad echo warnings issued earlier in the summer. In June, business owners told the Kildare Nationalist that they felt “under siege” from a gang of youths who repeatedly harassed staff, damaged property, and attempted to force their way into premises.
Senator O’Loughlin also stated that “lot of the businesses have joined together in setting up their own WhatsApp group so they alert one another when there is particular negative behaviour and engagements.”
She said that while “we need to look more at why this is happening, “I would say some of it is down to bad parenting but not all of it.”
The senator has called for a stronger Garda presence and a coordinated response involving plainclothes gardai “in particular around the Whitewater Shopping Centre and some of those areas which are a constant draw for these groups.”
In his response to the growing number of incidents, local Social Democrat Cllr Chris Pender said “young people need somewhere safe to go and something positive to do. That does not excuse harmful behaviour, but it has to be part of the answer.”
He said that “the delivery of a proper youth centre or dedicated youth space in Newbridge needs to be treated as urgent.”
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