RTE Documentary crew back in Limerick

Silentcorner

Apparently the National Broadcaster ( to whom we all pay a licence fee to ) has deemed it appropriate to begin filming yet another documentary on crime in Limerick ( to further put pressure on an already struggling tourism / retail business in the city ) - after their incredibly one sided "documentary" aired on Dec 6th last we need to ask ourselves and RTE exactly what are the motivations behind this? What are RTE attempting to achieve? Will be be using props during this documentary, if so why? will participants in the documentary be receiving money for their "contributions"? Will any possitive contributions make it to the final cut? If not why?

Why are they making yet another hour long special on Limerick?
Why do our politicians remain powerless to stop this terrible treatment of their constituents?
Why were the youths that were filmed in Weston on the Dec 6th "documentary" displaying a sawn off shot gun and claiming to carry out armed robberies with it not charged with any crime ( they were all questioned i am told )

We have problems in Limerick regarding crime and other social issues, as does a lot of cities and towns in this country ( many of whom seem to be ovlivious to their own crime issues ) but this constant media coverage is having a devasting effect on the lives off all of us, negative media attention = less people visiting the city = less trade for retailers, hotels, resturants = less jobs for locals

phog

TBH, my view is that the more it's highlighted then the more notice our government and the gardai might do to actually stop some of this crime. I want my city back and if prgogrammes like this help it then I'm glad it's being reported on. Some of the crimes happening in Limerick are probably the most dangerous that there is happening in any part of Ireland.

Karmafaerie

Because there's been a spate of gangland killings in Dublin recently, so another "documentary" on Limerick will make the people of Dublin feel safer.

:rolleyes:

Kess73

Karmafaerie wrote: »

Because there's been a spate of gangland killings in Dublin recently, so another "documentary" on Limerick will make the people of Dublin feel safer.

:rolleyes:

To be honest I could not care less about the murders and crime in Dublin. I live in Limerick and if this show, regardless of the motives behind it, helps bring about some positive actions and changes in Limerick, then I'm all for it.

Limerick has far too much by way of murder, assaults, gangland activities, animal cruelty, robberies and mindless vandalism for such a small place. If the show can force the hand of lawmakers, law enforcers or those that hold the purse strings to fund change, then bring on the tv shows.

I would sooner have a few shows highlighting the problems and scum that need to be sorted, than just have the powers that be ignore the problems and everyone just tries to say everything is great.

I want to see Limerick improve on the crime front, and getting that improvement is beyond the control of regular folk for the most part.

Amazotheamazing

That's fair enough Kess, but do these shows actually achieve anything like you hope they'll achieve?

I suspect this show might have something to do with Dr. Niamh Hourgian's study into the estates, which makes it worthwhile imo, at least we might get some proper answers as to what happened and what can be done.

Silentcorner

I don't want this to become a crime thread per say, I am not denying that Limerick has a problem with organised crime ( not as serious as the rest of the country makes it out to be however ) and from there we share the same anti social issues the rest of the country faces, I have lived elsewhere in this country and I know that anti social behaviour exists outside of Limerick to at least the same degree as here...

Imagine the uproar in other cities and towns if RTE tried pulling the same stunt elsewhere....and I mean stunt, if you read between the lines of my original post your will see that the way RTE behaved in the making of the last documentary is absolutely discraceful!!!

The consequences of this ( the 5th in 6 months ) is devastating and make no bones about it, customers of RTE par 10,000euro for 30 second slots on RTE 1, they do this because people believe what they see and act on it....

Kess73

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

That's fair enough Kess, but do these shows actually achieve anything like you hope they'll achieve?

I suspect this show might have something to do with Dr. Niamh Hourgian's study into the estates, which makes it worthwhile imo, at least we might get some proper answers as to what happened and what can be done.

Ahh you mean the study in which it is meant to be said that all the people of Limerick bear some responsibility for the crime levels, and that all the people of Limerick bear some responsibility as to why certain areas have become run down?

Or stuff like how the area shapes the person and how the person perceives themselves?

From what I have seen and discussed with people about the study, it is a very well written piece that no doubt is the product of an intelligent person, but it does trot out a number of cliches and tries to pass them off as something new or, worse still, as fact.

Discussing the whys in terms of what makes a person commit crime is fine and warrants study and effort, but it has to be a long term thing, whereas the combatting of current crime has to be the immediate short to medium term action.

Of course the study in full may carry, actually I have no doubt that it does carry not may carry, a hell of a lot of valid points as well, and I am looking forward to reading it in full at some point.

To answer your question as to whether these shows can bring about the change I would like to see. I don't think they will, but I think if actual events get publicity it may force the hand of peope with the power to do so, especially if tv shows made a point of saying on whose watch (which minister of justice, which top Garda etc) various promises were made and what promises were never followed up upon.

It beats the other option of trying to look the other way and staying quiet about a very real and very big problem.

I have always said that Limerick has, imho of course, the potential to be a very special location in many ways, but it has some very serious issues that need to have a stand made against them.

Amazotheamazing

Silentcorner wrote: »

I don't want this to become a crime thread per say, I am not denying that Limerick has a problem with organised crime ( not as serious as the rest of the country makes it out to be however ) and from there we share the same anti social issues the rest of the country faces, I have lived elsewhere in this country and I know that anti social behaviour exists outside of Limerick to at least the same degree as here...

Imagine the uproar in other cities and towns if RTE tried pulling the same stunt elsewhere....and I mean stunt, if you read between the lines of my original post your will see that the way RTE behaved in the making of the last documentary is absolutely discraceful!!!

The consequences of this ( the 5th in 6 months ) is devastating and make no bones about it, customers of RTE par 10,000euro for 30 second slots on RTE 1, they do this because people believe what they see and act on it....

I'd go along with that. It's devastating for the midwest in general.

One problem I have with all discussion of the estates is the failure to properly contextualise how small these areas are. In a city of 100,000 people, these estates house about 5 or 6,000 people, and of that, it's hundreds, not thousands, who engage in criminal behaviour.

A far bigger problem for Limerick solely is the greyness of the city centre, the poor condition of the city centre, the boundary extension, etc.

The estates are a national issue to a degree, the problems exist to service a national demand for drugs but the issues Limerick can control are making the city itself a more attractive place.

Kess73

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

I'd go along with that. It's devastating for the midwest in general.

One problem I have with all discussion of the estates is the failure to properly contextualise how small these areas are. In a city of 100,000 people, these estates house about 5 or 6,000 people, and of that, it's hundreds, not thousands, who engage in criminal behaviour.

A far bigger problem for Limerick solely is the greyness of the city centre, the poor condition of the city centre, the boundary extension, etc.

The estates are a national issue to a degree, the problems exist to service a national demand for drugs but the issues Limerick can control are making the city itself a more attractive place.

I think the biggest problem is having almost 23,000 people unemployed in such a small place in terms of overall population. I think something like 15,000 of that are within the city limits.

Those are frightening numbers and nowhere near being in line with the national rate of unemployment.

I do agree that what you said is a big problem as well though. The city centre is a dull lifeless looking area, and looks badly outdated in general. Throw in all the empty units, and basic enough facilities (Evening and night time have very little by way of variety in terms of services and entertainment), and it gives the impression of a city in a rut.

Given the lack of qualifications and experience in many of those who have a big say in how the city is run and developed, the short to medium term does not look like any dramatic changes will be made, and we will no doubt be treated to the same old faces coming out to tell us that the work on William street is going to have people flocking to Limerick from all over Ireand, just as the Thomas street work was meant to have people flocking to Limerick from far and wide for shopping etc. Self praise and empty promises is all we get from them.

I do however hope to be proven badly wrong by the powers that be in this city, and that they start to realise the great potential that Limerick has, and that they start to implement proper changes that can bring that potential to life.

DarkJager

Kess73 wrote: »

I think the biggest problem is having almost 23,000 people unemployed in such a small place in terms of overall population. I think something like 15,000 of that are within the city limits.

Those are frightening numbers and nowhere near being in line with the national rate of unemployment.

I do agree that what you said is a big problem as well though. The city centre is a dull lifeless looking area, and looks badly outdated in general. Throw in all the empty units, and basic enough facilities (Evening and night time have very little by way of variety in terms of services and entertainment), and it gives the impression of a city in a rut.

Given the lack of qualifications and experience in many of those who have a big say in how the city is run and developed, the short to medium term does not look like any dramatic changes will be made, and we will no doubt be treated to the same old faces coming out to tell us that the work on William street is going to have people flocking to Limerick from all over Ireand, just as the Thomas street work was meant to have people flocking to Limerick from far and wide for shopping etc. Self praise and empty promises is all we get from them.

I do however hope to be proven badly wrong by the powers that be in this city, and that they start to realise the great potential that Limerick has, and that they start to implement proper changes that can bring that potential to life.

Think I've seen a figure that 11000 new jobs were created in 2010 in Ireland -only 100 of those actually came to Limerick. Everytime we see "new jobs" being announced, they are either in Dublin or up North. Why is Limerick being neglected by the IDA when we have such a serious unemployment problem here?

As for the city, I'm not sure if anything short of knocking half of it would ever revamp it as a place tourists would want to visit. The city itself has absolutely nothing in it that cannot be got in one of the shopping centres outside it (along with free parking). They had plans to pedestrianise what is already a ghost street, but maybe common sense prevailed on that one. There are scum and litter everywhere you turn in the city centre.

In short, it has absolutely nothing to offer anybody in its current state.

seamusfamous

they have feck all else to be doing