Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)

I welcome this debate and thank Deputy Gogarty and his staff for bringing it forward. It is a conversation that is long overdue. Antisocial behaviour is not some abstract issue or statistic on the pages of reports. It is happening in our towns and villages every day of the week. It is happening to shopkeepers who have to watch their shelves while being threatened, elderly people who feel unsafe while walking to the shop and families who see their local parks or playgrounds wrecked. It is even happening to teenagers themselves, many of whom are just trying to go about their business and get caught up in a culture of intimidation and fear.

Let me be clear. I support this motion because but is better to have this debate than to let things slide and continue as they are. We all know the shortcomings in policing in this country and we are serious about resolving them. We need to be honest. First, the motion rightly points to the root causes of antisocial behaviour. If we do not put real investment into prevention, youth diversion and giving young people better outlets, then we are just talking to ourselves. I look at those in west Cork who set up the Garda youth awards and what a huge success it has been to show this country what so many young people can do, and so well.

The things they do are absolutely brilliant. So many of them receive awards on the night but it sets something in place for their CVs going forward. It is an incredible event and it needs to be commended and copied throughout the country. Independent Ireland has said it plainly: early intervention is the only way forward. We need to put the money into schools, youth clubs, sports facilities and half of this problem will be prevented before it even begins. That is very often what is missing in the thinking.

Second, there is community policing. Time and time again, I have stood here and stated that the strength of policing is gardaí on the ground, not behind a desk. A garda who knows the name of a young fella can nip something in the bud before it escalates. That is the model that works. The motion should put that at the core, where it belongs. I look at the recent allocation of gardaí announced recently. Only one was announced for west Cork. That is an astonishing situation in which we find ourselves. There was one new garda for the whole of west Cork. That is scandalous. What message is that sending to existing Garda authority in west Cork? It shows anyone that their concerns and those of others are not being listened to. What do I tell the people of Drimoleague, whose Garda station is closed due to a lack of gardaí? Is it just "Sorry, hard luck"? That will not work and it will not be the answer for them when I go back there. The fact that we can now see clearly that this Government will not appoint gardaí to west Cork shows we will have to defend ourselves more and more with CCTV, though again we come unstuck there. I told the Minister already that the towns of Clonakilty, Skibbereen and Dunmanway have had their CCTV switched off for no good apparent reason. No matter who I write to, no one is taking responsibility. It is surely under the Department of justice to see that CCTV works in every town in the country where it exists. Some communities in west Cork are lucky to have it and they feel safe with it, but it is scandalous to think that it is switched off in those areas and no answer has been given to me after three or four months asking the same question, namely, why it was switched off and who has the controls to put it back on again.

Let us talk about Garda numbers. The motion says what we all know. The numbers are far too low, but saying it is not enough. Independent Ireland has hammered home this point. You cannot police on the cheap. Recruitment matters, but retention is just as critical. We are losing good gardaí because morale is on the floor. Paperwork is crushing them and they do not feel supported. They feel that changes will keep bleeding numbers. A motion in this House will not fix it. On paperwork, I do like the proposals to streamline statements and declarations. This is exactly the sort of thing we have been calling for. Let gardaí police. Let them do their jobs, not spend half the day filling in forms that could be simplified or digitalised. The seizure on a permanent basis of high-value items such as scooters, squads and scramblers involved in antisocial activities and the paying-back of any damages is meaningful justice for victims of crime and a stance that Independent Ireland would like to see actioned.

The motion also touches on protecting shopkeepers. Our party has raised this issue again and again. Shoplifting is rampant. Small businesses are being hammered and in rural Ireland farmers are seeing livestock stolen. Yes, we must give shopkeepers backup with the proper Garda support. They cannot be left carrying the can, dealing with these types of crime. I also welcome the call for clearer laws on self-defence. Ordinary people must know where they stand. If someone threatens them, their family or their property, they should not be left wondering if they will be dragged through the courts for defending themselves. That needs to be clarified once and for all. Again, I support restorative justice but not instead of people facing penalties for crimes. It has to be in tandem, especially for repeat offenders. That is prevention in action. When a young person has to look at a victim in the eye and give something back to the community they have damaged, they will stop what they are doing.

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