‘Enough is enough’ says Navan storeowner amid shoplifting and assault incidents

Crime and anti-social behaviour are major issues in town

A business owner in Navan says he is considering closing up shop and pulling out of the town altogether due to ongoing to anti-social behaviour, crime and shoplifting.

Jim McDonnell, proprietor of Tony McDonnell's Menswear on Kennedy Road, told how the latest two incidents - one where his manager was punched in the face - have made him seriously question his future in the town.

There are also regular incidents of shoplifting and on Friday, Jim told how a man he described as a "junkie" came in and tried to steal two expensive Hugo Boss jackets.

"Luckily we had two people on duty that day because he would have got away with it," he said.

Despite being picked up by Gardai, the culprit was back on the street outside the shop a few hours later.

"It has been ongoing for a long time but it has really escalated in the last six months or so. What is putting us over the edge are the last two incidents, " said Jim.

In recent weeks, store manager Gabrielly Pereira was working on her own and told how she was punched in the face by a young woman who was trying to steal a top.

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She recalled that a couple in their early twenties came in and were trying to distract her. They walked around the shop messing the clothes and the young woman was threatening towards her telling her to stop watching her.

When Gabrielly challenged her after she put a Hugo Boss top under her tee-shirt and asked her to give it back, she said the woman started screaming at her 'did she want a fight' and punched her in the face. They left the shop with four tops.

"That was around 3pm on a Saturday in the middle of the town. This should not be happening," said Gabrielly. "I closed the shop and went home. When I came back on Tuesday, I felt so afraid."

Jim said they had close up for the rest of the day and that his manager was "very traumatised and upset" by what happened. He said people shouldn't have to work under those conditions at it is hard enough to get staff in Ireland as it is at the moment.

"It is not the environment you want for your work. You can't work like that. From our point of view, it is not worth the hassle of running a shop when you are constantly under attack. I am considering closing the shop.

"I don't want to but I'm thinking of it because there is nothing only hassle. The amount of junkies on the street is incredible. The amount of stealing and the druggies is desperate. There is never a garda on the street. "

"We have CCTV and alarms on stuff, it doesn't make any difference, They are grabbing stuff and running out the door. It is not only in our shop, it is in a lot of shops around.

The fact they are on CCTV and there are alarms on the garments doesn't make any difference. They don't care.

"There should be more gardai on the beat but they don't have the resources. Meath has the least number of Gardai per population in the country. We need a more visible presence. "

A shocking spike in this type of crime in recent months has led to calls for increased garda resources for Navan.

Just last month, a special meeting involving the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, and local traders was held in response to ongoing anti-social behaviour in the centre of Navan.

It brought together local traders who have been at the coalface of the problems along with local gardai, Oireachtas members, councillors, and Chamber of Commerce representatives. in spearate meetings, councillors, vintners and newsagents groups have been meeting local gardai.

Smashed windows, assaults on staff, rise in drug use, intimidation by youths and the scourge of graffiti were all topics of discussion put to the Minister for Justice by the traders.

Previous incidents in Navan included a shocking assault that left a Navan store worker hospitalised with head injuries. The man received kicks and blows to the back of the head when he he asked the youths who were throwing things around to leave the shop.

In another incident, a brazen thief smashed a rock through the front door of a premises and snatched the till's cash box early one morning. Recent weeks have seen a second break-in attack on Freshly Chopped on Metges Lane, off Kennedy Road, while there are constant anti-social activities around Market Square.

One Navan councillor has called for the Army to be brought in "to claim back the town " from increasing levels of anti-social behaviour.

Meath County council cathaoirleach, Cllr Tommy Reilly said there aren't enough gardai to meet the towns needs and if garda numbers aren't increased "we would need to call in the Army."