Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

Enormous resources have been made available to the Garda Síochána regarding its numbers, overtime, equipment and intelligence. I do not think it takes too much Garda strength to deal with 13 or 14 year olds, or, as Deputy Rabbitte said, 12 year olds. They are not armed criminal gangs. Most of what Deputy Rabbitte has been talking about has been done by children causing disruption in their own areas. The Children Act 2001 — not the Child Care Act, as Deputy Rabbitte said — has sections relating to trying to counsel families and rehabilitate such children. One cannot lock them up, and I will not enforce such a policy.

See this speech in context