Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

One of the strongest tools the State has in building strong communities is community policing. We only have to look to the US to see the disastrous consequences when the relationship between the police and communities breaks down. One issue that constantly undermines community policing in my constituency and that has become more acute during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the need to share public space more is required, is that of illegally driven scrambler bikes. It is something that is tearing residential streets and parks apart and needs to be resolved. At local policing fora, in replies to parliamentary questions, at joint policing committees and in response to Private Members' Bills from my party and others, we are told that the solution is complex. We accept that. However, we do not accept that the problem is unsolvable. As Lord Mayor of Dublin, I established a working group on this issue that involved all stakeholders. What was apparent was a definite need for a change in legislation and a change in Garda procedures. Some of the recommendations included broadening the road traffic legislation to cover public parks, greater control in the context of points of sale, implementation of crush orders for seized bikes, working with industry to limit the sale of petrol, providing better Garda vehicle training to allow safe pursuit and identifying youth diversion programmes.

The previous Dáil established a working group under the Department of Justice and Equality to examine this issue but how many times did it meet? Was a report, even a draft version, published? My constituents do not believe that the Department is taking this matter seriously and it is undermining the relationship with the police in my community. People feel that those in here do not care because they do not have to face the issue every day. They do not live with it. They feel that Members of this House do not care because they do not face the issue of scrambler bikes being ridden on Christmas morning or of football pitches being torn up. I have only two questions. Do officials in the Department care about this issue? What are they going to do about it?

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