Independent TD Paul Gogarty is set to bring forward a Dáil motion on combatting anti-social behaviour. Among the list of measures that he is calling on Government to implement is the temporary removal of personal items such as Playstations, Xboxes, smartphones, for consistent reported anti-social behaviour.
The Dublin Mid-West is also calling for the immediate seizure on a permanent basis of high-value items such as scooters, quads, scramblers involved in anti-social activities or breaking the law and a regime of fines to be introduced for parents where appropriate, to “encourage co-operation and act as a deterrent.”
Deputy Gogarty acknowledges in his motion that many people feel “a sense of powerlessness to deal with this persistent problem, especially when those involved are aged under 18 years of age and can commit multiple offences before being dealt with by the current system.”
To effectively combat this, he says Government must undertake “to provide additional resources to tackle the root causes of underage anti-social behaviour, with an additional strong emphasis on immediate consequences for actions.”
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan has previously outlined his view that existing legislation allows members of An Garda Síochána to issue Anti-Social Behaviour Warnings (ASBOs to adults and children and allows for senior members of An Garda Síochána to apply for Anti-Social Behaviour Orders before the District Court.
However, Deputy Gogarty is now calling for ASBOs to be sanctioned without requiring Gardaí to turn up in court.
Additionally, he is asking Government to give further consideration for a ban on social media for under 16s and for the rollout of an enrolment in education programmes where abuse is found to be motivated by the race, gender, sexual orientation or religious/cultural background.
The Motion is due to be debated this Thursday.