Garda Superintendent raises concerns about policing water meter protests
Gardaí have raised concerns in the High Court about their ability to police protests around water meter installation works.
A Chief Superintendent has told the court that the work stations are not deemed to be public areas and are therefore not subject to the Public Order Act.
Today four protesters were brought before court for allegedly breaching a 20-meter exclusion zone around the installation of water meters in North Dublin.
Contempt allegations were struck out against one of the four because the legal paperwork was not in order.
Having watched video evidence, Mr Justice Paul Gilligan will rule on Wednesday morning whether the other three protesters have breached a court order that was put in place earlier this month over claims by meter installers GMC Sierra that their workers have been harassed.
The company also called Chief Superintendent Fergus Healy who gave evidence that gardaí have been advised that the barriered water meter work stations are not subject to the public order act because they are not public areas.
He said there are arrestable offences covered by the Water Services Acts. The matter will also be addressed by the judge on Wednesday.
