Eamonn Coghlan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Senator Moran referenced the young mother and two children held and terrorised in their home in Dundalk. Perhaps that trauma will be with them for the rest of their lives. This is the second such incident in that area in recent days but similar problems occur every day of the week in this country. In my area last week, we held a meeting with representatives of An Garda Síochána, with 40 cases reported to gardaí. Only last week, a lady was putting out a bin in the evening when she was assaulted by four men wearing balaclavas and bundled into her house. Her children were beaten up until the thugs got some money. A gentleman who lives only a number of doors away from my home was watching television last Friday week but when he went to bed, he noticed the bedroom had been ransacked and there was a golf club on the bed, although he does not play golf. He checked his closed-circuit television footage and discovered thugs had been in the house for 20 minutes ransacking it. They had crowbars, a baseball bat, hammers and golf clubs.

Gardaí cannot be blamed for this as we know there is a lack of resources. Nevertheless, these thugs will strike morning, noon and night and they are fearless. We are becoming prisoners in our own homes and we are reaching a stage where we may have to put iron bars around windows to protect ourselves and stop these thugs from getting in. I blame the bail laws and court procedures. There may be 30, 40 or even 50 charges levelled against thugs and yet they are allowed out. I call on the Leader to facilitate a debate in the Seanad on the bail laws as these people should not be allowed to get away with their actions. After three strikes, they should be out. We must find a way to incarcerate people when they commit serious crimes.