Aontú Leader Peadar Tóibín has called for the Minister for Justice to ensure that all Gardaí are given the training and the right to pursue scramblers and electric scooters.
Speaking after legislation was introduced in the wake of the tragic death of Grace Lynch, the Meath West TD said Gardaí needed training and legal protection for the law to work.
“The death of Grace Lynch as a result of a scrambler, is a shocking loss of life. It’s a shocking loss to her mother, family and community, We welcome the legislation that was announced today to ban all scramblers. How ever the ban without proper enforcement will not save lives,” he said.
“Incredibly, Gardaí are currently not trained to pursue a person on a scrambler or an electric scooter. As a result there is no legal protection for them if they pursue. They could be stood down from their job. They can be subject to a civil court case. They could be the subject of a Fiosrú investigation. As a result the Gardaí are no going to pursue. A scrambler with a scarf or a balaclava can whizz past a Garda, refuse to stop and nothing happens.”
“The law is tilted in favour of the criminal here. The Gardaí are subject to potential discipline and costs. The law will not be enforced in many situations. My worry is, the Dáil will be back at this shocking juncture again unless the government pair real enforcement with this ban,” he said.
Speaking to reporters this morning, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the new regulations would be named after Grace Lynch.
“Grace’s mother said to me she wanted it to be known as Grace’s law, and that’s what it will be,” he said.
Tánaiste Simon Harris acknowledged that there had been a provision in law to ban scramblers outright from public spaces, but he said “it seems that that was never commenced”.
“That’s not an acceptable situation, it predates the times of Minister O’Brien and Minister Canney, but our aim is to move forward in relation to this as quickly as possible,” he added.
It is intended that bikes seized while being used ilegally would be destroyed, Deputy Harris said.