There’s been a spate of attacks on delivery drivers across the capital.
Food delivery company Deliveroo are hoping to meet with An Garda Síochána after a spate of attacks on its workers around Dublin. Deliveroo riders are claiming they’re coming under increased threat of attack around Dublin City Centre, particularly from groups of young people attempting to steal their bikes at knifepoint.
The cyclists say they feel “unsafe” and are urging Gardaí to take action. Speaking on Today with Claire Byrne on RTÉ Radio 1, William and Lucas, from Sao Paulo in Brazil, explained how dire the situation has become on the streets of Dublin;“We are facing too many attacks from teenagers. They try stealing our bicycles and hit you with some things and we don’t know why it happens because we are just working.”
William went on to describe a recent attack he had endured, “Three weeks ago I was delivering in Dublin 8 and fifteen to twenty guys tried to stop my bike. They tried to throw some chain lock to stop my bike but they couldn’t. I was very, very, very nervous… I could escape but I have some friends and they couldn’t and they lost their bikes.”
Deliveroo riders predominantly deliver takeaways from restaurants across the capital and speaking to reporter Barry Lenihan, they explained that they are frequently faced with violence and had objects thrown at them including “rocks, eggs, bottles and fireworks.”
Over the last year there has been several violent incidents reported to Gardaí, but the riders explained that there has been an increased level of animosity in the last few weeks and there are parts of Dublin that they no longer deliver to as a result, “We are afraid, how can we work with this level of violence on the street.”
Gardaí told the program that they’e carrying out increased patrols across the capital due to these recent tensions and are urging Deliveroo riders to report any incidents or thefts to their local station.
