6 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 7 June 2012
FastNews Council unware of problems with cars at green area SOUTH Dublin County Council has said that it is not aware of any problem with cars using the green area at Lindisfarne Green in Bawnogue. At the most recent Clondalkin Area Committee meeting, Councillor Trevor Gilligan (FF) asked the council to consider placing a Cllr Trevor Gilligan “railing/barrier to prevent cars driving through [the green] and endangering children’s lives. There is a huge wall on the green so children cannot see the cars, nor can the cars see the children.” In response, the council said that Parks Department workers had inspected the area and not found any worrying signs. “The open space at this location was not provided or designed to be used by cars. At a recent site inspection, there was no evidence to indicate that this area is being used on a regular basis by cars. “The area will be monitored over the next three months and, in the event that an issue with cars is evident, consideration will be given to installing two/three bollards adjacent to Number 18, Lindisfarne Green, subject to the identification of the necessary resources,” said the council.
Palmerstown house is raided by drugs gardai A HOUSE in Palmerstown was among those raided last week, as gardai seized more than €1.5 millionworth of cannabis across the city. As part of an ongoing investigation targeting the activities of criminal groups involved in drug trafficking, gardai carried out a search operation in West Dublin on Thursday, May 31. During the operation, which involved members from the Blanchardstown Division and the Garda National Drugs Unit, searches were carried out at houses in Blanchardstown, Mulhuddart and Clonsilla. Cannabis plants and herbal cannabis, with an estimated street value of €1.5 million (pending analysis), was seized, along with €20,000 in cash.
CRIME Number of break-ins terrify doctor
Dr Fayyaz Sharif’s Palmerstown surgery has been repeatedly targeted by thieves this year, as has the pharmacy next door (inset)
Patient data on GP’s stolen laptop I PAUL HOSFORD
phosford@gazettegroup.com
THE medical records of more than 2,000 patients have been stolen from a doctor’s surgery in Palmerstown. The records were on a laptop stolen a few months ago in the Palmerstown Medical Centre, which was established two and a half years ago by Dr Fayyaz Sharif, who said: “They took a computer, but forget about that – there were patient records on that. The data is the important thing. “We still have the hard copies, so they’re not missing, but the computer was stolen.” Based on the Old Lucan Road, the facility, which serves more than 2,000 people, has suffered five incidents of burglary in the past five months,
with the pharmacy next door being targeted twice in the same period. The doctor has d e s c r i b e d h ow t h e spate of robberies at his premises has left him “terrified”. The most recent incident occurred last Friday, when Dr Sharif’s car was broken into in daylight in a busy car park. The first incident took place in January, when a back door was broken down and computers stolen, with subsequent incidents including a robbery of the cash on the premises, and the theft of signs and security equipment. Dr Sharif says that, in the most recent incident, there were a large number of people in the area. “It was last Friday [May 25], and everybody was walking around at
2.30 in the afternoon. To do that [robbery then] is cheek. “I’m not sure that the incidents [between us and the pharmacy] are linked, but I’m worried that people look at this place as a hot-spot, because they think people pay in cash, or that they can rob computers,” said the doctor.
Frustrated Dr Sharif says that, following the car break-in, he was extremely frustrated, even thinking about moving the location of his business. But, in the end, he recognises that the business has a role to play in the community. “On Friday, I was so annoyed that I thought: ‘Close the place and move somewhere else’, but we worked hard to
establish ourselves and, if we moved, people would lose out.” Dr Sharif says that the bigger issue for him is feeling comfortable in his workplace. “It’s hard to feel comfortable when you’re treating someone, and you’re not sure if someone is going to come in and rob you.” Gardai confirmed that one man was arrested for the robbery at the adjoining pharmacy on April 30, but that “discussing named individuals” would be “difficult”. A Garda statement said: “Gardai are investigating a robbery at a pharmacy at Palmerstown on April 30, and a man in his 20s is currently before the courts in relation to this incident, having been arrested at the scene.”
Local rise in Live Register figure I PAUL HOSFORD phosford@gazettegroup.com
THE number of people signing on to the Live Register in Dublin MidWest has risen, new figures have shown. The figures for May show that 9,261 people are signing on – an increase of 255 on the previous month. Sinn Fein representative Eoin O’Broin said that the figures were worrying.
He said: “The latest CSO figures released last week show a sharp rise in the number of people on the Live Register in Clondalkin and Lucan. “Once again, Dublin Mid-West is experiencing a higher level of unemployment than elsewhere. “There is an urgent need for the Government to look at constituencies such as Dublin Mid-West to identify the causes of the higherthan-average unemployment. “There is also a need for
increased levels of investment to get people back to work,” said O’Broin, who hit out at Government promises made in the recent referendum campaign. “In the weeks leading up to the referendum vote, Government ministers waxed lyrical about the need for a ‘growth agenda’. “Talking about jobs doesn’t get people off the dole. Only investment, by the Government, in real job creation will address the unemployment crisis,” he said.