Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is committed to ensuring that communities are safe. Tackling anti-social behaviour is an important part of that commitment.

Legislation currently allows members of An Garda Síochána to issue Anti-Social Behaviour Warnings to adults and children and allows for senior Gardaí (not below rank of Superintendent) to apply for Anti-Social Behaviour Orders before the District Court.

Legislation is being progressed through the Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025 that will reduce the minimum rank from Superintendent to Inspector for a Garda to apply for anti-social behaviour orders for children and adults respectively. This will enable swifter action in such cases and will free up Superintendents’ time for other policing matters.

The Government is taking a number of ongoing actions to tackle anti-social behaviour and build safer communities, including:

• Getting more Gardaí on our streets through increased recruitment.
• Introducing Community Safety Partnerships around the country, to develop Community Safety Plans for every area.
• Continuing the expansion of youth justice and youth diversion measures.
• Piloting Garda body-cams in three locations (Dublin, Waterford, Limerick) with national roll-out to follow.

The Government continues to invest in the expansion of youth justice and youth diversion measures, including the full coverage of Youth Diversion Projects nationwide, a focus on early intervention and preventative work and proposals to develop diversion-based responses for young adults aged 18-24.

I have been assured by the Garda Commissioner that the high visibility policing plan in place in Central Dublin will continue and the Commissioner has stated that this plan will be replicated in other areas of the DMR.

From An Garda Síochána's perspective, a long-term strategic approach to anti-social behaviour in communities assists in addressing potential problems before they arise. An Garda Síochána work collaboratively with Local Authorities, community leaders and groups to find solutions to problems associated with anti-social behaviour.

Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSP) represent a significant step towards a more collaborative, responsive, and locally driven model of public safety. They will bring together a broad range of relevant stakeholders to address community safety issues in their area which will include residents, local councillors, community representatives (such as those representing young people, older people, and new or minority communities), business and education representatives, and a range of public services including the HSE, Tusla, An Garda Síochána and the local authority.

In June of this year, I signed regulations that provide for the establishment of Local Community Safety Partnerships in each local authority area across the country. I appointed the members of the first Local Community Safety Partnerships in recent weeks and aim to have all of the Partnerships up and running in the coming months.

My Department has also examined and introduced initiatives to tackle knife crime, responses to anti-social behaviour in housing complexes, the misuse of scramblers and quadbikes and the powers available to An Garda Síochána in relation to public order offences.

New laws were also introduced in 2024 which criminalise the grooming of children into crime. In addition, the Greentown project, which aims to break the link between children and the gangs that seek to recruit them, was extended in 2024 for a further 3 years.