Tom McEllistrim (Kerry North, Fianna Fail)

As this is my first opportunity to do so, I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy John Moloney, on his appointment. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this important issue and call on the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to establish a special squad in the Garda to deal with anti-social behaviour and public disorder. I urge the Minister to introduce this squad on a pilot basis in Tralee.

Local newspapers across the country provide almost weekly reports of court proceedings involving public order offences and anti-social behaviour, which principally occur at weekends, although unfortunately they also take place on week days. Our communities and town and county councils regularly discuss the problems caused by drunken revellers late at night. Shopkeepers often spend Mondays cleaning up broken windows and other damage. It is unfortunate that many people seem to be unable to have a night out without causing annoyance, distress or harm to others. Their social night out develops, usually with the aid of alcohol and possibly other substances, into an anti-social experience for everyone around them. Fuelled by substances they would be better off without, they can make life a misery for members of the public, local businesses, the Garda Síochána and personnel in emergency departments.

Intoxication in a public place, disorderly conduct, threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour, assault, violent disorder, affray and attacks on emergency service personnel are examples of some of the many types of disorderly behaviour and public order offences which adversely affect the quality of life in our towns and cities. We all want our town centres to be alive and vibrant places where people want to live. Urban renewal schemes were devised with this objective in mind. However, there is no incentive to live in a town centre if one is kept awake at night by rowdy drunks and greeted on Monday mornings by shards of broken glass, an abundance of litter, graffiti and other damage to property. What about members of the public or tourists who go out for a night and find themselves threatened, abused, insulted or intimidated for no good reason? Sadly, this type of anti-social behaviour is probably an unfortunate side effect of the booming economy we have had over the past decade or more. In dealing with such behaviour, it is necessary to specifically target locations where civil disorder is rife, including areas outside pubs, clubs, discos, fast food outlets and at taxi ranks.

The record shows that assaults have increased substantially in Tralee. Headline incidents in County Kerry for the first quarter of 2008 rose to 493 from 462 in the first quarter of 2007, while in Tralee and Listowel they increased from 244 to 256 and 76 to 81, respectively, over the same period. Public order offences in County Kerry rose from 762 to 842 and while public order offences in Tralee declined, the number of more serious incidents increased from 95 to 110. Tralee has six night clubs, 24 off-licences, 126 pubs, 44 restaurants, 18 hotels and 13 fast food outlets. A zero tolerance approach by the Garda, which involved a complete clampdown on unruly behaviour, resulted in more than 100 arrests for public order offences in Kerry's three main towns in one weekend in early May. Arrests for fighting, drink driving, possession of drugs and other offences reached the three figure mark and there were 32 arrests in Tralee alone. Garda reinforcements, including members of the dog unit, were drafted in to help to keep the peace on the streets where people were partying until the early hours. Recently, Tralee Town Council debated whether to close a laneway in the town where there is a problem with anti-social behaviour.

The identifying and targeting of trouble hot spots in consultation with stakeholders can ensure more effective deployment of Garda resources and CCTV can be utilised to enhance public safety. It is, however, time to consider the creation of a special squad within the Garda to deal with this type of behaviour. The starting point should be the establishment of a local task force. Such a squad could involve the Garda, particularly community gardaí and Garda Reserve, and liaise with joint policing committees, the community and local business people, such as the proprietors of nightclubs and taxi ranks. The squad must be given the support, resources and skills it needs to tackle anti-social behaviour. Its members should be specially trained in dealing with public order problems, dress as a public order unit with protective gear if necessary and be capable of operating as a unit. Visibility, the use of a paddy wagon and a robust but fair approach to public disorder would act as a deterrent and would be appreciated by members of the public. This investment would pay dividends, particularly social dividends, in the long term. I urge the Minister to establish such a squad on a pilot basis in Tralee, County Kerry, and Abbeyfeale, County Limerick.

The Garda Síochána already has a number of special squads, including the traffic corps which deals with drink driving and speeding, the drugs squad which deals with the drugs problem and the special crime squad which deals with serious crime. I commend the Garda on the great work these special units do. Why should we not establish a squad to tackle the many problems associated with the scourge of anti-social behaviour and public disorder in a timely fashion and perhaps, in time, reduce the incidence of more serious crime?

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