Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ministers of State for their statements. The issue of a youth justice strategy goes to the very core of much of what has been in the media in the past couple of days and the incidents we have seen, particularly in Dublin. We have had many examples of situations where people feel afraid, violated or unable to walk the streets at night, particularly in urban areas and on public transport. A lot of it, although not all, is around young people behaving very badly and threatening and attacking people.

It is an issue we need to focus attention on in terms of how we deal with it. Early intervention is key to diverting young people from crime and that kind of behaviour, as we all recognise and understand. I am glad the Government has accepted that the level of disadvantage does lead to crime and antisocial behaviour, drug use and all of those things.

That disadvantage is something we need to tackle, which means we need to tackle people who live in these communities. The incomes they have to live on are a key issue. Poverty and its impact, not only on the material things that people can buy and how they live their lives but also with regard to the mental pressure it puts on people and its role in the formation of attitudes among young people, is one of the key aspects of all of this. We have to work out how we can resolve that issue.

There is multiple disadvantage across the State. We have children who suffer from trauma in their formative years. This affects their development as they go through life. Disadvantages affects socio-economic status. As for the parental figures in their lives, if children grow up in a family where there is addiction or other serious problems, they will naturally tend to lead a chaotic life. There can be child neglect and emotional abuse. Domestic violence is an issue Deputies regularly come across. Many children grow up with it as part of their lives and then, naturally enough, it takes over. Children may have parents or older siblings who have been through prison and have continuing contact with the Garda and criminal justice system. That also has an impact. All of these areas have to be worked on. They can all be traced back to social disadvantage and where it leaves us.

The failure of the State to do its job for so long is what got us into this situation. For a long time, it has been left to market forces to develop and work out how we will resolve these issues. We need to intervene and the State needs to take a much greater role in respect of that. It is not only an issue for the Garda. I welcome the comments by the Ministers of State that a range of organisations, both State and voluntary, and communities all have a role to play here. Their first task is to build up trust among themselves so that they can work together to deliver.

I welcome the Greentown pilot programme, what it is doing, how that work is progressing and how we can develop it. At the centre of all of this is that we can have all the plans in the world and come up with the correct strategies, but will they be funded and resourced and have sufficient commitment from government and senior management on various projects to deliver? That is a key issue in resolving much of this problem.

Everyone agrees with the need to consider detention as a last resort, up to a point. I have come across the youth diversion programme a number of times. It does excellent work and is very good, but I have also come across its negative side. In one case involving a girl who was the victim of a serious sexual assault the perpetrators were sent down the route of the youth diversion programme. That was not appropriate and caused further harm to the young woman as she could not understand how the people who did this to her were, in her mind, let off. That is how she felt about it. It needs to be understood that a strong and effective deterrent must be in place for serious crime.

We had a reprehensible attack recently on one of our Olympians, Jack Woolley. That incident drew attention to the issue of antisocial behaviour but it did not happen in a vacuum. Antisocial behaviour has been ongoing in many areas, particularly in the inner cities. An incident of antisocial behaviour was shown on "Claire Byrne Live" the other night. Deliveroo cyclists, who deliver food to people, are often attacked. The racial abuse they have to endure also needs to be addressed as part of all of this.

There is a correlation between these types of behaviour and the low presence of front-line gardaí on the streets. When I left Leinster House last night I had to drive to an area in the south inner city and then back to the north inner city. During that drive, which took ten or 15 minutes, I did not see one patrol car or garda, and I was watching out for them because I had this debate in mind. I saw nobody on the streets. That is the experience of the vast majority of ordinary citizens and it is an issue we need to address. The Garda has officially stated it has record numbers of gardaí, it has resources and is responding quickly. That is not what we hear from the general public. I am sure the Ministers of State and every Deputy in the House will be aware of that. Many people, when they are in trouble, telephone An Garda Síochána. They could wait a long time for a reply or response. That is part of the problem because it breaks down trust and we need to build up trust.

We need to deal with these issues in a targeted way. I want to focus on people who are slightly older that 18, those in their late teens and early 20s. We need a programme which recognises that many people do not reach mature adulthood until quite late in life, certainly not before their mid-20s. The focus on a youth diversion programme needs to recognise that as well. The mental capacity and mental health of many of those who are involved in these situations also needs to be borne in mind.

We have an idea of where we need to bring all of this and how this plan can resolve these issues but the plan will only resolve them if it is funded properly and has the right level of commitment from everyone involved. That will only come through leadership by the Government.

I broadly welcome the direction in which we are going. We can deliver if we have commitment. We need to see a commitment from the top, the higher echelons of An Garda Síochána and Department of Justice, and the Ministers of State, to dealing with this issue once and for all.

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