Mr. John Doyle:

The Deputy mentioned the untouchables. These untouchables all start at a very young age. There is no age limit to antisocial behaviour, who causes it, when it happens or anything like that. When this type of behaviour starts when people are at a young age and untouchable, it means they do not learn respect or anything like that. Whatever comes through your window or at your door, and everything like that, is all learned from somebody else who came before them. A transport police force should have been in place a long time ago.

I do not know what people are expecting. Everything is not happy on the Luas trams, the buses or the trains. We have all witnessed something that starts it all off. It can be very intimidating, and people shy away and all this carry-on. If people actually did report what they saw or if CCTV footage were downloaded for every incident, we would be shocked at what goes on. We have no deterrent whatsoever. People know the Garda response time and that our security officers are absolutely powerless. When they started first, they were terrifying. Everyone saw the black uniform and everything, and there was a bit of respect, but then the people involved in these incidents realised these officers had no powers. They just check tickets in a different colour uniform. My colleague Mr. Alade will probably verify that as well.

We need the transport police. When gardaí do get on our vehicles, as Mr. Wynne said, there is a fear of them. There has always been so. A uniform with power is something, but the black uniform, to check tickets or whatever, is no deterrent. The people involved know what is going to happen to them, which is nothing. I have seen it all. I have seen people with knives threaten children. I have seen everything. You name it, I have seen it all. I have been doing this job for 20 years, as most people have been. When people see this every day, it just makes them feel like not wanting to go to work because they are fed up going to work. It causes people to miss days. It is not good and not pretty, if the committee knows what I mean.