Cabbage Garden Interagency Collaboration Continues

Positive presence works! After many years of consistent Halloween anti-social behaviour mitigation efforts, we have had probably the best night of them all last Friday, 8 years on from commencement of interagency collaboration. Despite early inclement weather, spirits were not dampened for the actual event!  From the last stats shared, over a thousand individuals had come to the park for the family-friendly event. Feedback has been consistently positive from people on the night, and since. Thanks are due in abundance to Dublin City Council Area manager Brian Hanney and his community team under Síle McNulty-Goodwin, and Kevin Kelleher who planned and engaged contractors to facilitate the programme of activities. An Garda Síochána Community Policing Team under Supt David Butler, Insp Ian Lambe, and Sgt Mick Nagle were present throughout the day from the 10 start of setup right through to load-out and lockup. Commitment and partnership in making this little pocket of D8 safer for all to enjoy has been a labour intensive investment that we are beginning to see bear fruit. Of particular note, was the feedback in relation to the quiet hour in the earlier part of the evening with one mum in particular sharing that her child had never attended before, but that this year was so welcoming and she even managed to stay later into the event, making it easier all round for the whole family. It was such a pleasure to see the youngest members of the community coming out in vast numbers to enjoy a shared space safely. Garda presence, civil defence, multiple stewards, and consistency throughout the day and evening ensured that antisocial behaviour was kept at bay.  Looking forward to seeing how we might spread this across the year in smaller ways on a regular basis to support better outcomes for people living closest to the park especially.

Interagency partners and stakeholders include: DCC South East Area, An Garda Síochána, The Iveagh Trust, 61^st Merchants Quay Scouts, YMCA Dublin, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Child & Family Support Network, RADE (Recovery through Arts Drama and Education), Maldron Hotel, Hyatt Centric Liberties Dublin, Local Residents and Schools.