The social problems plaguing some of Limerick's housing estates are crippling and cannot be solved by gardai alone, it was claimed today.
The city's Regeneration Agencies chief Brendan Kenny said locals were facing intimidation from youths and that all state bodies must tackle the problem.
Regeneration Agencies chief Brendan Kenny
Speaking about redevelopment work in the troubled Moyross and Southill areas, he claimed his team had heard stories of children between the ages of 12 and 16 regularly refusing to attend school.
"The social problems in these areas are crippling, far worse than I expected," he said. "The gardai on their own cannot solve these problems - it will take a concerted effort by all state agencies to sort this out."
Mr Kenny was speaking at a breakfast briefing hosted by a group of architects in Limerick. The northside and southside regeneration agencies were set up in June and local committees were established to devise the redevelopment of both Moyross and Southill.
They have long been plagued with crime and anti-social behaviour, with on-going gang-land feuds escalating the violence. In September last year, two children in the Moyross estate aged six and four were badly burned after their mother's car was petrol bombed.
While the demolition of houses is already under way, Mr Kenny said the social regeneration of the areas was more problematical.
While applauding the work of the state services, he claimed children were refusing to go to school and a significant minority were running wild around the estates causing difficulties for residents.
"They \[children] don't want to go to school," he said. "This is an issue. Enforcement doesn't seem to be as strong as it used to be."
Mr Kenny said children as young as six were threatening adults in the estate as acts of bravado.
Also discussed at the meeting was the need for an improved public transport service for the city, with a possible tram system proposed.
PA