Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish a speedy recovery to the garda who was injured in the line of duty last week. When such an incident happens it is a reminder of the grave dangers of the job of protecting and serving our communities and that our respect and gratitude must be extended to our Garda public servants, those men and women who put their lives on the line for us.

Just a few weeks after the school holidays began last summer and over following weeks I received shocking reports from delegations of my constituents about outrageous anti-social and criminal behaviour involving joyriding and related mayhem being inflicted on residents night after night and often all throughout the night. I was informed that up to five and six vehicles were dangerously driven around a part of one estate in Dublin Bay North and then set on fire in nightly episodes often lasting up to 6 a.m. Community leaders complained of cars being burned directly outside family homes and then being used as blockades of those homes as the lives of local children and families were put in jeopardy on a daily and nightly basis. This hugely distressing mayhem was captured on photos and videos sent to me by constituents. I immediately reported the re-emergence of this appalling behaviour to senior Garda officers and to the Deputy City Manager for housing and estate management.

Unfortunately, the initial response of An Garda Síochána and Dublin City Council in midsummer was very slow and many residents felt let down by the gardaí and local authority officials. Following urgent requests from community leaders and local community safety forums and our Dublin North Central Joint Policing Committee, a policing plan was at last put into action which resulted in a reduction in this crime by early autumn.

I have contacted local gardaí and Dublin City Council about the issue repeatedly in recent months because of grave concerns of a further upsurge in the joyriding terror in the period around Hallowe'en. I raised the matter with the previous Minister, the former Tánaiste, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, on Leaders' Questions on 26 October last. Even in recent weeks, I have received ongoing reports of cars being driven recklessly and burned out in broad daylight. On one recent Saturday afternoon, for example, a car was being joyridden disgracefully from 3 p.m. while residents allege repeated and multiple calls to An Garda Síochána did not elicit a response until approximately 9 p.m. that night. While tyres are wrecked and cars are driven on the wheel rims, it is reported that the alleged ringleaders were witnessed calmly changing a tyre to continue the mayhem for a further period of hours. I have visited the worst affected district many times and can verify that some streets and green amenity spaces have been left in a disgusting state with debris and blackened damage still clearly visible even after the removal of burned out cars.

This appalling anti-social and criminal behaviour represents just one serious aspect of a wider increase in anti-social behaviour across other districts of Dublin Bay North and, I believe, other constituencies. My office receives regular complaints of the intimidation of citizens and families, widespread vandalism of public facilities and damage to apartment blocks and housing estates. What steps is the Minister taking to bring this behaviour to an end and to reassure householders that mindless anti-social and criminal behaviour will not be tolerated by this House or the Government? What action is being taken to identify and apprehend the alleged ringleaders of joyriding and other criminal behaviour, to caution them, link them with junior liaison officers and the Garda diversion programme, which has been so successful and, if necessary, prosecute those who are most responsible? As I asked the previous Minister last October, what action is being taken to identify and prosecute adults who sell or transfer vehicles to youngsters? The Minister might remember that I brought the original legislation to cover that issue before the House myself because most of these cars are not stolen vehicles. When will the long-promised community policing teams under the national Garda model of community policing be introduced in Garda Dublin metropolitan region north?

Community policing and general Garda resources were devastated by the long years of austerity foisted on us by the Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael blanket bank guarantees. In Dublin metropolitan region north, which covers Dublin Bay North and most of Dublin Fingal with a population of over 300,000 people, there were just 202 and 160 gardaí deployed in the R and J Garda districts, respectively, last year. The number of community gardaí was cut to only 40. We need urgent action to stop the resurgence of this horrible criminal behaviour and to bring peace and security to my constituents.

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