Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for taking this debate on anti-social behaviour in the Beaumont area. I am always reluctant to discuss matters of anti-social behaviour in a public forum because it does not necessarily lead to a good outcome and can stigmatise an area if not done sensitively, but the issues at hand have got to such a degree that I feel my hand has been forced.

There is an estate called Collinswood, and in that estate is a laneway that leads to the main Beaumont Road. In that laneway, a number of incidents have happened, including multiple muggings, and there is a general sense of danger and intimidation. A number of individuals have been intimidated in the wider estate and a gang seems to be going around the place causing havoc.

After a public meeting that I organised, a number of other people from around the area have contacted me. One told me that her son had been the subject of a 45-minute mugging in August. There was the well-publicised case of a 13 year old boy who was assaulted and had his bike taken from him just outside Beaumont Hospital. Another individual contacted me to say that his wife, when intervening alongside their daughter in a mugging in the same area, had her shoulder broken.

There seems to have been an escalation in anti-social behaviour in and around the Beaumont area in recent months. I have met senior Garda management, which is familiar with the issues and is trying in whatever way it can to respond to them. I have no issue with the response or determination of the Garda to sort out the problem, but the question inevitably comes back to the resources the Garda in that area has, be it at Raheny Garda station, Clontarf Garda station or Santry Garda station. A point raised by a resident is that Santry Garda station closes at 7.30 p.m. A large amount of Government time, energy and resources have been put into the reopening of Stepaside Garda station. I do not know what kind of criminality or anti-social behaviour is happening in Stepaside to warrant that amount of resources and political attention, but the area I am discussing, which I live near and which I am trying to represent to the best of my ability, is in need of special attention to root out this problem and ensure that people can live quiet lives without a sense of intimidation hanging over them and the area in which they live. It is a proud and good area with decent people who are just trying to live their lives.

If it were not for the seriousness of the issues and the fact that they are being raised time and again, I would not necessarily be standing here and talking about them, as I am often reluctant to go public with an issue and name a particular district. I want the Minister of State to respond positively to what I am outlining and commit to providing more resources so that gardaí can patrol the area better and give a sense of security to people living locally, allowing them to go about their daily business without the threat of intimidation or assault hanging over them.