Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this issue. As the Senator said, it is not the first time she has raised this. Obviously, this is an ongoing concern for members of the community.

If I could, I will start by supporting the Senator in condemning what happened the other evening. It is utterly unacceptable that any community should have to put up with this kind of behaviour, as the Senator said, on their doorsteps where people go to work, where children play and where people live, but it is also not acceptable that members of An Garda Síochána, who are just doing their best to keep people safe, would be attacked in this kind of way. I want to convey my best wishes to both members of An Garda Síochána following what they went through. I wish them well.

We will always support communities affected by anti-social behaviour and this type of behaviour. I want to be clear to those who are responsible, irrespective of what age they are and irrespective of other issues that are going on and, obviously, the wider response that is needed, that it cannot and will not be tolerated. The Garda is working closely with the local team on the ground and with the community to make sure that those who are responsible are caught and that there are repercussions.

Some people said during the week there is no point in asking people to come forward or go to the Garda because they are afraid but if gardaí do not have the information that they need when this type of behaviour and activity happens, they cannot do their job. There are confidential ways in which people can come forward and I would appeal to members of the community if there is information that they have to come forward so that we can respond to this effectively.

Separately, I have asked the Garda Commissioner to look at what more we can do on anti-social behaviour, to look at the laws that we have and how they are being implemented, and to look at progress that is being made, be it in the area of scramblers or the whole-of-community response. That is something he is already doing on which he will come back to me. It is not specific to Cherry Orchard but part of a wider discussion around anti-social behaviour that we must have.

It is important to stress, as the Senator outlined, that it has not been felt but there was, based on many concerns that the Senator and others have raised, an increased presence in the area. There have been a number of operations in the area. In particular Operation Préachán, which started in the late summer, has resulted in seven people being arrested only in the past few weeks and brought before the courts with strict bail conditions. There were curfews in place on some of the individuals. It is that type of policing that we need to see continue. It is that type of clear determined response that the community need to see happening and continue on an ongoing basis.

There is support from the public order unit for the Dublin Metropolitan Region and many of the other policing units but I appreciate, and I will take the feedback that the Senator is giving me, that people are perhaps not seeing it as much on the ground even though there has been an increased presence and an increased number of gardaí for the area, not only since Monday but over the past number of months in response to some of the concerns that the Senator and others in the community have been raising. I have been given a commitment from the local chief superintendent, Chief Superintendent Murphy, that his increase in resources will continue until this issue is addressed.

This is symptomatic of a wider societal problem. The Senator outlined that there was one shop in the area and few resources. For a community of this size, it is not adequate. We all need to respond collectively, not only a criminal justice response but working with the community. There are fantastic members in the community. Dublin City Council has a regeneration plan for the area. We need to get that up and running. We need to have the full support of Dublin City Council, of the justice sector and the local Garda, but also the community. That is something that I am working to bring together. I will work with Senator Seery Kearney and others to make sure that that happens.

I will outline - and I can give the figures to the Senator - the youth justice strategy to which she referred. The overall funding trebled last year and there was an increase of €6.7 million provided through the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne. That has allowed us to significantly expand on the types of resources and the programmes that are there to try to get to the root of things and stop it from getting to the point of scenes such as we saw on Monday last.

Specifically, for this area, there was approximately €300,000 last year. There is €148,000 for two full-time youth justice workers and one part-time project manager. In June, there was additional funding of more than €92,000 for a family support worker and one new early intervention worker. The Cherry Orchard Developing Youth, CODY, which is in Cherry Orchard, received further funding of almost €63,000. That is specifically to work with young people involved in the anti-social use of scramblers and quad-bikes and related crime. These type of projects take time. It is not an overnight fix.However, the more investment like that we can have, the more we will get to people at a younger age and the better it is for them and, most importantly, for the community.

It is important to look at it from two aspects: the community response and how to support the community in the wider picture, and also the Garda and its response. I assure the Senator there will be an increased presence. The Garda will continue to do the work it has been doing. It will make it very clear that this type of behaviour is not acceptable but, also, that where crimes are being committed there are repercussions and that people are held responsible. I will continue to work very closely with Senator Carey as we try to respond in the most effective way possible.