Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

I welcome this timely debate as anti-social behaviour is undoubtedly a problem in inner cities and towns throughout the country. The Minister and the Acting Chairman were subjected to a minor aspect of it this evening with the unruly behaviour in the Chamber, and the Acting Chairman had great difficulty in bringing it under control. It shows the difficulties that victims of such behaviour encounter, sometimes on a daily basis.

I was taken with what the Minister stated on the effects of anti-social behaviour on victims. Unfortunately our criminal law rarely if ever takes account of victims. I welcome the Minister's emphasis on the effects on victims, and wish to see it extended to the entire criminal law. We have debated that issue both here and at the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights.

I know time fades the memory but when we were growing up I am sure we were all guilty of causing aggravation to people by playing football on the streets or handball against the gable end of a house. Anti-social behaviour is not a new phenomenon but perhaps the accessibility of stimulants makes it more severe than it used to be.

The long-term effects of not addressing anti-social behaviour are as serious as its short-term effects. Anyone that has observed such behaviour over the years has found that in the housing estates where it occurs, a small minority of families are involved and where it goes unchecked those same families are involved in far more serious offences and crime ten or 20 years later. That is one of the many good reasons this should be tackled in the interests of a properly regulated society.

The Minister has taken a number of initiatives over the years, such as the fixed penalty in the Criminal Justice Bill whereby people who commit certain offences can have an order placed on them by gardaí and if they fail to pay they are brought to court.

Managing anti-social behaviour through the Garda without the involvement of the courts and prisons is a step in the right direction, and I have no doubt that all sides would commend the Garda youth diversion programme. This programme deals with 12 to 17 year olds who are at a vulnerable and impressionable age where much of what they do will have a life-long impact and will help to chart their future careers. It is very important to put the mechanism in place to ensure the paths they follow lead to a satisfying and fulfilling life.

The Opposition has many times alluded to a matter which is germane to the motion. I am happy the Minister has initiated a process to increase Garda numbers to 14,000. I am pleasantly surprised to note the Minister expects the process to be completed in 2006. The initiative to bring 275 new recruits on stream in each quarter of a three-year period will contribute. A visible Garda presence on the beat is a great deterrent to all sorts of crime. I can never understand why traffic enforcement is conducted by gardaí who hide behind trees and bushes with speed guns and are only seen if they stop a driver. In other countries with more effective traffic controls in place, police are highly visible which does not detract from detection or enforcement but makes people aware that enforcement is a high priority. Making the Garda presence more evident is a very positive step.

The Minister outlined the reduction in the rate of public order offences and headline crimes such as murder. If one is a victim, however, the crime one suffers is one too many. While we will never achieve zero tolerance, our aim should be to travel in that direction at all times. I am pleased that the Seanad had a significant influence on the Garda Síochána Bill. The establishment of joint policing committees will be a constructive step which facilitates more focused and effective policing at local level and bridges the gap in the dissemination of information to the public. Senator Cummins mentioned our recent, low-profile trip to London, which did not receive the level of attention focused on some of our colleagues who went a little further afield.