Mr. Richard Guiney:

We thank the committee for inviting us to meet with it today. We are pleased to participate and hope that our contribution to the discussion will be considered beneficial. Dublin Town is Dublin city centre’s business improvement district. It was established in 2008 following a vote of ratepayers in the core Dublin city centre district from Parnell Street to St. Stephen’s Green. Our role is to improve footfall and business within the city’s commercial core on behalf of our 2,000 business members, 85% of whom are consumer-facing and engaged in either the retail or hospitality sectors.

We pay tribute to the ongoing and tireless work of the Garda Síochána, which is very much appreciated by the business community. However, we recognise that many of the root causes of antisocial behaviour are beyond the control or jurisdiction of the Garda and therefore require inclusive multi-agency responses. While Dublin is a safe city by international standards, it has suffered from poor perceptions of safety for some time. This unease is evident in press reporting and consumer surveys. These consumer surveys reveal very poor perceptions of Dublin when compared with other international cities. We believe that it is now time to address the underlying issues constructively and comprehensively. The most effective way of addressing antisocial behaviour is to replace it with pro-social behaviour. To achieve this, local communities, be they business or residential, should be included as part of the solution and in co-ordinated responses.

Over the past ten years, we have witnessed successful interventions aimed at reducing antisocial behaviour. Our experience is that when such initiatives come to an end, the issues tend to arise again. However, such successes give us confidence that we have it in our power to improve community well-being and the city experience when we apply greater consistency to our structures and approaches. Examples of successful interventions in Dublin include the Better City For All process. This independently chaired, multi-stakeholder programme was an effective mechanism for identifying, considering and addressing the majority of issues pertaining to drug-related antisocial behaviour. Dublin Town would strongly support the re-establishment of such a mechanism.

We further believe that the principles of crime prevention through environmental design, CPTED, should be deployed more systematically throughout the city. Some of these principles are basic, such as increased lighting provision, while others, such as the constructive use of laneways for residential and other engaging purposes, would require planning. We also need to eliminate dark recesses and improve waste management and street presentation in order to enhance the sense of security among the public.

Legislative enhancements could assist in creating a more welcoming environment. The Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 2011 could be tweaked to provide greater protection for the public. However, greater success will be achieved by considering non-criminal sanctions. My colleague Mr. Gerard Farrell, who is attending today, has worked with restorative justice in the Probation Service and has found this to be a rewarding exercise. We also believe that there is scope for enhancing antisocial behaviour orders and using them not only to address difficult behaviour but also to provide supports which could assist those involved in addressing their underlying challenges.

Once again, we thank the committee for inviting us to attend and we look forward to engaging with it further to consider the often complex issues arising.