Police in Perth to seek help from GAA clubs

POLICE IN Perth, Western Australia, are seeking the assistance of GAA clubs to combat antisocial behaviour by young Irish emigrants.

An email circulated by a Perth GAA club said the police would be visiting it and other GAA clubs in the city to advise young Irish people the police will be adopting a “zero tolerance policy for any antisocial behaviour” and that this could lead to deportation.

GAA WA (Western Australia) president Robert O’Callaghan said police were “doing the right thing to get the message out there to the general public”. However, he said: “I don’t think it’s necessarily an Irish issue.” Nor, he said, should it be “construed that they’re targeting the GAA”.

The email read: “The WA police are extremely unhappy and appalled by the antisocial behaviour which is taking place all too often on the streets. Even Rental Agencies are not as willing to rent properties to Irish people here in Perth, as they are getting destroyed during parties, and left in terrible conditions once vacated.

“We have been advised, that over the next few weeks, the Perth Police will be, at random going around to all of the GAA Clubs and talking to club members . . . If individuals don’t abide by the law, and take heed of move on notices, their visas will firstly be investigated, before court action, meaning that deportation would be the final conclusion.”

Mr O’Callaghan said he did not want the alleged actions of some Irish people in Perth to give other young Irish people a bad name.

“I would tell any Irish fella to pull their head in if they were misbehaving. Or if they’d never misbehaved I’d say make sure you don’t . . . because if you do you will be sent home.”