Gardaí have launched increased patrols in Dublin following tensions between food delivery workers and local young people.
There are also plans to increase community outreach and youth diversion work in the hope of averting future violence, sources told The Irish Times.
Gardaí said they are aware of increased animosity between Deliveroo workers and young people following several violent incidents in recent months.
Some of the incidents began as robberies of Deliveroo staff, who deliver takeaways from fast-food restaurants across the city, usually on bicycles.
On Friday, well over a hundred young people gathered on bicycles and cycled through the city centre. Some of the youths said they wanted to find and confront delivery drivers over a recent violent incident.
Gardaí monitored the gathering and no major incidents were reported.
Food delivery workers have started refusing to deliver to certain parts of Dublin 8 and its outlying areas. Some Deliveroo cyclists have also started using unbranded clothing and food bags to avoid attention.
On January 22nd, Dublin Deliveroo drivers staged an unofficial strike over pay and working conditions.
William Santos, a Deliveroo cyclist from Brazil, told The Irish Times on Monday that he and his colleagues are “frightened every night.”
“We are afraid because we don’t know what will happen to us when we deliver to a place.”
Deliveroo launched in Ireland in 2015, and currently works with more than 1,000 riders and over 1,800 restaurants across Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway. The riders as classified as self-employed and are paid per delivery.
