Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion on the issue of random violence and weapons on our streets. The murder of two Polish men in my constituency ten days ago has been the catalyst for much debate and public outcry on the issue of violence in our communities. We can only hope that the wanton and vicious attack on these two men resulting in their deaths will bring about some sense of responsibility and some real action from this Government to curb the ongoing attacks in our communities. This, however, is little consolation to the families and friends of the two law-abiding Polish men who died.

It seems this Government only wakes up to the level of violence on our streets in the wake of a brutal attack such as this one. However, the reality unfortunately is that violence has become commonplace. Every weekend there are reports of stabbings, shootings, beatings and much more gratuitous violence.

It should be stated that the level of violence now experienced is not exclusive to any particular area or class. It seems to be all-pervasive and random. In recent weeks in my constituency, the following cases came to public attention. A doorman at a nightclub was shot because he refused entry to someone. A young girl was beaten up by a group of her peer age group for no other reason it would appear than she was not Irish. A young man was executed by the canal and, most recently, there were the two Polish victims.

Sadly these events are the ones that have entered the public domain but many more incidents classified as "minor" go unreported or attract very little attention, although somebody may have ended up paralysed because of an unprovoked attack. The events I describe are by no means exclusive to my constituency. Listening to all those who spoke this evening, it would appear to be almost the norm throughout the country.

As public representatives, we are obliged to do everything we can from a legislative, social and policy perspective to tackle this issue. There are some short-term measures which can and must be put in place to address the level of crime now ravaging communities. The role of community gardaí must be enhanced because all the indicators are that where there is a prominent community Garda presence, crime levels are reduced. However, as I highlighted previously in another context, four of the five stations in Dublin South Central — Ballyfermot, Crumlin, Sundrive Road and Terenure — have fewer community gardaí than the average in the Dublin metropolitan region. This deficit must be rectified immediately.

In the Drimnagh area, where this appalling and vicious event occurred last week, relations between the community gardaí and the local community are excellent but there is only so much the gardaí can do if they are under-resourced and if there are not enough gardaí to take charge and tackle this problem. While the role of community gardaí is hugely important in the community, they act as something of a sticking plaster. We need to look at the fundamental problems causing this anti-social behaviour and violence in the community.

Alcohol and substance abuse were mentioned by speakers on all sides. As we heard, alcohol can now be purchased in almost every garage forecourt, supermarket and off-licence attached to a pub. Earlier today Deputy Eamon Gilmore quoted statistics I recently accessed via my colleague, Councillor John Gallagher, which showed that in Dublin South Central in 2007, there were 15 applications for off-licences. Some 14 of these were granted with just one refusal. It is not as if there was a dearth of off-licences in a particular area because two off-licences were sanctioned within four doors of each other. The review of off-licences the Minister promised is long overdue but I will certainly welcome the report.

The need for better services and facilities for young people has been raised. On this issue, we must move with the times and engage with young people to find out what activities and services they would like and would use. However, the services currently in place must be made available and be appropriate to all age groups. They must be available at the time when young people want to use them. What is the point of closing the doors of these facilities at 6 p.m. with youth workers going home, as happens in some cases?

A cold hard look at value for money from our investment in youth services and facilities would be welcome. There will always be a need for new different ideas and outlets, so we should be open to providing those young people tell us they want and not what we think they might want.

This motion calls for a review of the availability of knives. While I appreciate the significance of trying to achieve that, it would be very difficult to implement as kitchen knives would be available. In addition to knives, many more weapons are widely available. I welcome the points made by Deputy Charles Flanagan who put forward some ideas which have been implemented in the UK and particularly in Northern Ireland. These ideas are worth trying but it will be difficult to make progress.

The fundamental question that must be addressed is why these out of control young people behave the way they do. Gratuitous violence is the order of the day on most television programmes and in many films and videos which are readily available.

I am a great supporter of young people participating in sporting activities. As the Labour Party spokesperson on sport, I will always be very supportive of that but I ask for a review of the many sporting activities where one sees players engaging in violent aggressive behaviour towards each other. Perhaps those responsible for setting the standards in sport would like to take a look at the impact of this type of fighting and aggression on young people who aspire to become involved in sport. I am very much in favour of providing sporting facilities but let us look at one of the downsides.

As far as television and videos are concerned, the genie is out of the bottle and nothing can be done. We have moved on and the challenge is to change the way people think about the violence which, in many cases, is being force-fed to them on a daily basis.

What is the role of the family in ensuring the children for whom it is responsible are not involved in crime and anti-social behaviour? The values of our society must be tackled in the family home. Schools do their best, often battling against the odds, to provide structure and boundaries, particularly for children they know are at risk. However, what explanation can a parent give for six and seven year olds being allowed to wander about unsupervised and falling prey to vultures who use him or her to help break the law? I refer to incidents of small children being used to steal, break into shops, damage cars and carry drugs.

Where are the HSE and the social workers? What is the role of the National Educational Welfare Board when these children do not attend school? There are unfortunate parents who are unable or unwilling to be responsible for their children. Intervention is urgently needed in these cases. The real problem is a lack of support for families at risk. There are few supports and no sanctions, so why should these parents bother? Will the Minister look at the needs of families at risk and intervene to break the cycle? Until there is intervention at the earliest stage, the cycle will continue.

No amount of knife and weapon amnesties will change the mindsets of those intent on doing damage to their communities and individuals. The interventions now needed must be addressed collectively, but most fundamentally in the home. The community, the various State agencies and most of all the families must get together to find an agreed way forward on this huge issue. This Government must take responsibility for ensuring that all the main players come together and that there is connectivity between the various agencies. It is not good enough to wring our hands and say how awful this blight is on all of us.

We must bring these thugs — the untouchables — to justice. We have been very polite about them for a long time but it is time to move on, call it like it is and ensure justice is done and is seen to be done. We must ensure parents have their rights but we must enforce their responsibilities as well. We must address the abuse of alcohol, binge drinking and drugs and put more community gardaí on the streets and give them the support they need.

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