Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

Is it not the first duty of Government to ensure citizens feel safe walking the streets and in their homes? That is not the case at present. It is all very well for the Minister to say he condemns the public disorder but it is not very reassuring for parents who are concerned when their young son or daughter goes out at night whether they will come home without being the victim of an incident.

I am not asking the Minister to comment on a particular incident but I am saying to him that everybody except the Government knows this phenomenon of youths loitering with intent intimidating law-abiding citizens is everywhere in urban Ireland. There is a malaise in our society. That a person cannot even resort to a garda when circled by young thugs is the responsibility of the Minister. Despite the figures he quoted about the number of gardaí, there is no visible evidence of gardaí patrolling trouble spots such as this.

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