The Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) has said that urgent action is needed to address the escalating crisis of aggressive and often organised begging which sometimes leaves tourists feeling unsafe as they tour Dublin City Centre.
As the aggressive begging becomes a national issue which threatens to damage people’s perception of safety, the RAI is fully behind Lord Mayor of Dublin Cllr Christy Burke’s suggestion of a task force made up of the relevant representative bodies.
Chief Executive of the RAI, Adrian Cummins said; “We are all aware that there has been a reduction in Garda numbers. This has increased the difficulty of policing our streets at a time when greater Garda visibility in the city centre is needed”
As the number of people currently living on the streets of Dublin hits 4,600, the RAI has called for increased provisions of housing for the homeless in order to solve the growing homelessness problem faced by the city centre.
The RAI also believes that the issue of drug dealing and consumption in the city needs to be addressed immediately, as tourists often get harassed by aggressive beggars. Figures from ITAS also show that 83 per cent of the 800 tourists who contacted their office were victim of crime or other incidents in Dublin.
