Aontú’s representative in Newry & Armagh, Liam Reichenberg, has welcomed news that CCTV cameras are to be installed at Lir Fold in Keady which is operated by Radius Housing.
“The residents of Lir Fold have had to put up with intolerable incidents of anti-social behaviour from a small minority of other residents but also from outsiders gaining access to the grounds and building over the last few years. Repeated requests by residents for CCTV were denied until now.”
“Last year I was contacted by a number of the residents of Lir Fold who were looking for help. I was happy to advise them and put a case together for CCTV and other measures. A freedom of information request from me to the PSNI revealed that in 2024 alone there were 26 calls to the PSNI on at least 14 separates issues. These incidents included verbal and physical assaults and threats to life. Yet in September of 2024, in a written letter to a resident, a Radius Housing Manager repeated his claim that there was no need for CCTV,” explains Mr Reichenberg.
“A number of the resident’s refused to take ‘no’ for answer and a resident’s meeting was held this past Thursday, May 29th with the management of Lir Fold to discuss security and other matters to which I was invited by residents.
“I was very pleased to learn that Radius has new officers in place now looking after Lir Fold and the residents. I welcome the recent appointment of Housing Officer, Sophai Ervine, and her team who seem to understand the issues and empathise with the residents. Their announcement at the meeting that in the region of 20 cameras are to be installed in the coming weeks is a great relief to all concerned.
“There are still a number of other concerns the residents and I would like addressed which we hope to see resolved in the near future. I am happy to assist them and others in any way I can,” concludes the Aontú representative.
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CLANRYE NEWS 