An enforcer from a drug gang barged into a meeting to intimidate a Probation Service client in Munster in a shocking incident at a public office.
In another frightening confrontation in Dublin, a juvenile client was set upon by a group of youths armed with large knives and blades.
The young victim managed to make it back to a shop where a Probation Service project was taking place and staff blocked the entrance to the store.
A note of the incident said: “The group left but returned. A second client waited outside and was assaulted when he wouldn’t hand over his bike. It is thought that another participant of the project is in a gang feud with the first client.”
In Munster last year, a meeting was interrupted by a man who entered an office saying he was a Probation Service client.
“When asked to leave he ignored the PO [probation officer]. When looked up on the system he is not an open case,” a report outlined. “When the man left the client revealed that the man is a drug dealer and enforcer.”
The violent incidents were the most serious of 23 significant accident or incident reports made involving the Probation Service last year.
The Probation Service works with criminal offenders to try and reduce the chances of them re-offending following release from custody.
In another case, a client locked themselves in an office in Cork and sat quietly there for around 15 minutes.
They then upturned a table and threw a computer around the room before smashing it through the glass of a door.
A note said: “The other clients were evacuated and [An Garda Síochána] were called, while the client was confined to the room.
“After approximately 30 minutes, the gardaí still hadn’t shown, so a [staff member] went out to the street and flagged down a passing garda.”
Around half a dozen other cases of aggressive behaviour or verbal threats were also logged last year.
In another case at a private address, a probation officer made an unannounced visit to a client in Dublin and found them in company with several people. One of the individuals refused to leave, claiming they were a carer although “the client disputed this”.
A note of the incident said: “After asking her to leave again this person lunged at the [probation officer].
“The client got between the [officer] and this person, but she still tried to strike the [officer], who grabbed her arm, hurting her hand in the process. This person then threw a cup of coffee over the [officer].”
A spokesman for the Probation Service said the health and safety of staff, clients, and other people they serve is of “utmost importance.”
He said: “Our low incident rate is a testament to the diligence and collective focus on safety by our staff across more than thirty-five offices nationwide as well as in community service sites throughout Ireland.
“Our health and safety team conduct a thorough review process of every incident, and our goal is not just to respond to incidents, but to anticipate and prevent them, ensuring the safety and well-being of all our staff and the people we work with.”