An Independent TD has said that it is “absolutely clear that there is a level of violent and threatening disorder rampant” throughout the asylum accommodation network, after incident reports revealed physical violence, threats against staff, psychotic episodes, fires, a claim of arson, and more, involving residents of the IPAS centres.
Offaly TD, Carol Nolan, said that local communities who had concerns about the placement of such centres “continue to be subjected to a gaslighting campaign where all of their fears about violence and intimidation are treated as paranoid delusions”, when, she said, “the facts speak otherwise.”
And she added that when she had previously asked Gardaí to provide accurate information on the locations or the number of times they have been called to centres where international protection applicants are being accommodated, they were unable to do so.
Amongst the incidents listed in the FOI disclosures released to Nick Delehanty, and provided by him to Gript, are records of physical violence, threats against staff, psychotic episodes, fires, a claim of arson and more, involving residents of the IPAS centres, who are persons claiming asylum.
- Physical violence against staff and other residents of the IPAS centres.
- Threats to kill – with one resident screaming “I will kill you” in a altercation – and threats of physical violence, against both staff and other residents.
- Threats to kill made against staff by a resident who “got very agitated and became aggressive” saying “the rules didn’t apply to him”, threatening “to kill security staff” and then claiming he would “gather a group of his friends outside and assault staff as they left the site”. He was later allowed to return to the site.
- Claims made to senior management by a resident that another resident had told him that he was responsible for fires at the centre and “that he plans to burn the whole building down in the future.” The resident reportedly making the arson threats claims that his motivation is to “get relocated” out of the IPAS centre.
- Record 22 (below) shows that there were 12 incidents where Gardaí were called after a fire in one of three centres.
- A psychotic episode, with smashed plates, hurled bottles, and attempts to throw a microwave across the dining hall. Other residents “fear for their lives”.
- Another psychotic episode, with threats to kill, where “due to the nature of the threats and history of multiple psychotic episodes, additional security measures were put in place to ensure the safety of both staff and other residents. Two security guards were assigned to monitor [the resident] throughout the night, and this security presence continued into the following day. Given the “severity of the threats” this person had made against security staff, Gardaí had also been called.
- Security staff having “racial remarks” directed at them by residents who also verbally abused them.
- A resident spitting in security staff’s face – the same resident had been reported “multiple” times to IPAS
- A chef serving food left “shaken, visibly upset, and quite distraught” after being threatened by a resident “with a weaponised implement”. It was not, the report noted, the first time the resident had been involved in such an instance, and staff he could not continue to be allowed “to put our team and contractors in an unsafe environment”.
- An ambulance called after an aggressive altercation between two residents
- Incidents where an aggressive resident who had “accused the kitchen staff of killing a former resident with their food” and threatened security staff- and then called the Gardaí and claimed he had been threatened by security
In addition, another aggressive altercation required “continuous monitoring” to “ensure that the two individuals would not have any further interaction and that any potential for renewed conflict could be preemptively addressed”.
Carol Nolan said that the “litany of incidents came from just 13 reports from just 3 IPAS centres over a period of 4 months, and were indicative of what was likely a common pattern across the system.
“It is now absolutely clear that there is a level of violent and threatening disorder rampant throughout the IPAS accommodation network. At the same time, communities continue to be subjected to a gaslighting campaign where all of their fears about violence and intimidation are treated as paranoid delusions. The facts speak otherwise,” she told Gript.
Deputy Nolan had previously requested of An Garda Síochána “any information or data that may be held on the Garda pulse system with respect to the number of times Gardai have been called to direct provision centers or locations where international protection applicants are being accommodated.”
She received the following reply on behalf of the Superintendent, Garda Corporate Services Office: “we can report, Strategy & Roads Policing have advised, in relation to your query, we are unable to provide accurate figures as we do not have access to all the locations and the timespan in which they were used or are being used for this purpose.”
Nick Delehanty had specifically asked for reports from centres at Kilbride Barracks, Crooksling, and Eblana Avenue – which are IPAS centres connected to Igo Emergency Management Services.
Igo has received some €57 million for provision of asylum services from 2022 to date.
David Mooney, who is “named on a growing list of applications to different local authorities as the “owner” of Igo Emergency Management Services”, previously operated a lap-dancing club and unsuccessfully sued the Garda Commissioner and the State for what he saw as a failure to provide him with a new identity, €600,000, and relocation to another country after he entered the Witness Security Programme.
The Department of Integration responded to Nick Delehanty partly granting his request and releasing some of the records from the period spanning 01/11/2024 to 07/03/2025.
However, certain incident reports – seven in total – were refused, because “their release would disclose details of investigations conducted by An Garda Síochána (AGS) with regards to incidents at accommodation centres.”
“I believe that the release of this information has the potential to prejudice the outcome of these investigations,” the Deciding Officer at International Protection – Transparency Unit said.