Update: 2023-07-28
Police Aspirant Anna Kublik-Rościszewska, press officer of the Bolesławiec County Police Headquarters:
In recent months, we have received two reports concerning the location in question. The first intervention confirmed that four people had committed an offense under Article 51 of the Petty Offenses Code. In the second case, the report was not confirmed.
And she adds:
In connection with the information you received from a resident, police patrols have already been assigned to monitor the playground, particularly through above-standard services carried out in Gromadka Municipality.
Let us remind you. We wrote about the matter on July 17. A Reader called our editorial office and informed us that there had been a problem for several years with the playground on 11 Listopada Street in Gromadka. He mentioned that alcohol parties were organized there constantly, every day, regardless of the weather, and lasted until 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. During them, playground equipment and benches were also vandalized.
The result? According to the person who reported it, parents are now afraid to come there with their children because young people drive quads, motorcycles and scooters across the playground, while partygoers engage in “face-tearing,” hurling profanities in every direction. There was even a situation in which parents had to pick up a child because a young man had just driven onto the playground on a quad, creating a very dangerous situation.
What is more, last year parents took their underage children away from there because they were... “drunk out of their minds.”
The worst time, the Reader informed us, is at night, because during the drinking sessions the young people shout, scream and play loud music, and the noise carries terribly. Those who live near the playground cannot get a wink of sleep. The man added: – No one sees it, and no one is bothered by it. If there were inspections, things would look different.
The person who reported the matter told us that he had been intervening on the issue with the Municipal Office for three years. He had recently allegedly heard from the mayor that the police had been alerted to the matter. However, according to the Reader, since then there had been only one intervention by uniformed officers. The resident does see patrols frequently speeding through Gromadka with their sirens on, but they do not stop at the playground itself.
In the opinion of our source, the municipal government should secure the playground: – This is taxpayers’ money, not the Municipal Office’s. The man added that he had asked the Municipal Secretary about installing surveillance cameras there, but had allegedly heard that “people need privacy.”
The person who reported the matter admitted that he feared a tragedy would eventually occur at the playground.
We asked the municipal government and the police about the matter. Tomasz Matyjewicz, Secretary of Gromadka Municipality:
We are aware of the situation and, essentially, it does not differ from problems associated with the operation of other playgrounds or multifunctional sports fields in Gromadka Municipality.
The park area with playgrounds and a recreational area is well maintained and cleaned, and waste is collected regularly. The area is mowed, and the low greenery is kept in proper condition
Infrastructure is, naturally, sometimes vandalized—as are other public infrastructure facilities—but the damage is systematically removed. The amount does not differ quantitatively from the destruction caused by users at other playgrounds.
The area is completely fenced off, the main gate from the county road is locked, and the park can only be accessed through a small gate, so driving in on a quad is at least difficult.
The entire area is illuminated at night.
And he adds: – There is information on the main gate about the prohibition on bringing in and consuming alcohol.
And emphasizes:
The police have been notified that incidents involving disturbances of the nighttime quiet are occurring in the park. Furthermore, to increase the frequency of patrols in this area, as well as in other areas managed by Gromadka Municipality, the Municipality has signed an agreement with the Police financing above-standard services, increasing residents’ sense of security.
What do you think? We invite you to join the discussion.