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Sé O’Neill, Mike O’Neill and Mike Moriarty outside the old Garda station in Fenit. Photo by Gavin O’Connor
A SPATE of vandalism in Fenit and damage to the lighthouse there, has prompted some residents to call for the Garda station to be reinstated.
Locals were horrified when it was discovered on Friday that vandals had smashed windows and gained entry to the lighthouse where they caused more damage to the interior. It is not known when the incident took place. Then, at the weekend, tyres of vehicles were slashed on the pier.
Speaking to TraleeToday.ie on Tuesday, local man Mike Moriarty said that since before Christmas, residents in Fenit have had to deal a worrying rise robberies and vandalism and there hasn’t been a permanent Garda in the area in four years.
“We feel like we’re getting targeted. When there was a guard here there was very little crime,” said Mike Moriarty.
“We were told by the guards when we were going to be policed from Tralee, it was going to be a better policing service, but at the moment it doesn’t feel like that,” he said.
“I even came in on a burglary myself in my house. They had just left the house but thankfully I was covered with insurance,” Mike said.
“I want to call on our six TDs in government to try and get a reversal of the decision to get rid of a lot of the rural Garda barracks,” said Mike.
Vandals would have required getting a boat from the shore and navigating the waters to the lighthouse, where there they damaged windows and doors.
Fenit Lighthouse which was damaged by vandals.
“It’s costing jobs at the moment because the lighthouse is being turned into a visitor centre and no one can be brought up there with the state it is in at the moment,” said Mike.
Last Friday night four cars were damaged in the village where in total nine tyres were slashed. One of the car owners was Mike O’Neill who runs the beach shop.
“I’m living here for 20 years and I’ve never had any negative experience, ever. You’d always get a batch of a couple of bad eggs, that’s always going to happen, but there has been a spate of incidents and nothing is being done,” said Mike.
“What happend in the lighthouse is the worst of all. That building has been unmanned since the 1950’s and was never touched. We’re going to organise a meeting with the guards, the Harbour Board and whoever needs to get around the table because we need to get proper CCTV cameras throughout the village,” said Mike.
my own car was subjected to vandalism parked in town on Saturday night, had to replace side window. Low-lifes! No respect for other peoples belongings and property.