Smithfield LUAS attack highlights lack of security

On the morning of the 29th of October, a man was attacked and assaulted outside Smithfield LUAS stop. 

He was then saved and assisted by a gentleman on the Luas that intervened and helped the 65-year-old man.  

The daughter of the assault victim took to Twitter to inform people of the incident. She is looking for the man that helped her father so that she can thank him in person. It seems she was unable to locate the man that helped her dad when she tweeted the next day thanking everyone for their kind wishes and help. 

 She also commented on how her dad probably won’t be “rushing” back to public transport.

According to her Twitter, the assault had happened because the perpetrator had sat beside her father without wearing a mask. The father asked the perpetrator to not sit next to him and this then led to the assault on her father.

This brings attention to the lack of security on the LUAS lines during rush hours. LUAS has had security provided by “STT Risk Management.” Recently they have implemented a helpful security text message system that helps get rid of “anti-social” behavior. 

The security is also supposed to help make sure everyone on the LUAS is socially distancing, wearing masks and that everyone is safe and feels secure on their commute. However, it seems that there is both a lack of security during rush hour as well as a lack of security in general and a sense of it being overpacked, according to people on Twitter.  

“The Liberty” decided to ride the LUAS during multiple hours of the day on the 24^th of October. The number of security personnel may have been lowered due to the level 5 lockdown but, not a single security guard joined the LUAS between Sandyford and Milltown across several journeys.  

In the 2021 Budget, €799 million has been allocated to Public Transport. There is no mention specifically about adding more security on the LUAS or any other forms of public transport.  

Maybe this most recent assault and the issues surrounding coronavirus will result in a necessary increase in security on Irish public transport.