Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We sincerely want to work with the Minister on this. We will support positive initiatives but in the austerity years, funding for youth clubs, youth projects and education were all slashed, whether these were for diverse communities, the Travelling community or working-class areas. We need that funding restored. That is the first thing I ask for. Second, we need investment in more community policing, especially in areas where we know there is huge social deprivation. You can see it. It is there in part of the constituency I come from. There is a big cross-section where I come from, but certain areas need extra help. We need community gardaí on the ground.

In the past couple of years, I have seen a number of young people die by suicide, which is absolutely tragic, because of intimidation due to drug debts they had and their families being threatened. We need to be able to work with young people. The youth diversion scheme needs to be broader. It needs to go into clubs and schools. I am involved with a GAA club in Cork. It is a terrible thing to say, but I know a certain kid who will be gone and will not be playing by the time they are 14. We have volunteers who are running the teams and doing their best, but we know the kids who need the most help will not get it because we have just two or three volunteers helping out. Youth diversion projects should be working with this.

There was a superintendent in Cork, Mick O'Loughlin, who was a former Cork player, a great GAA man and a great garda. He used come out to coach our under-14 team every year. Why? It was because the kids would get to know a garda and would build up a relationship. It was good for him, good for the Garda and good for the community. That is the kind of stuff we need. Whether it is through education, sport, the arts, including music and dance, we need to work with young people to get them away from criminality.

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