Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty: I move: That Dáil Éireann:

— recognises that anti-social behaviour continues to be a major problem in Ireland for people of all ages;

— noting that the factors leading to this behaviour are multi-faceted and that some work has been done to date to identify and resource solutions;

— accepting that Garda numbers per head of population remain far short of optimal levels;

— acknowledges 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;

— undertakes to provide additional resources to tackle the root causes of underage anti-social behaviour, with an additional strong emphasis on immediate consequences for actions; and

— commits to providing a full list of implementable legislative and resourcing reforms to lay before the Houses of the Oireachtas within six months of this motion being passed, based on contributions made during this debate, best practice in Ireland and internationally, and specifically assessing the following measures:

— the introduction of curfews for repeat offenders;

— community courts for rapid adjudication on anti-social behaviour offences, including the sanctioning of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs);

— ASBOs to be sanctioned without requiring Gardaí to turn up in court;

— immediate seizure on a permanent basis of high-value items such as scooters, quads, scramblers involved in anti-social activities or breaking the law;

— temporary removal of personal items such as Playstations, Xboxes, smartphones, for consistent reported anti-social behaviour;

— seizure of any items suspected to be obtained as a result of theft, i.e. a "mini-Criminal Assets Bureau";

— fines for parents where appropriate, or similar, proportionate measures that encourage co-operation and act as a deterrent;

— enhance the ability of shops to search and detain shoplifters pending the arrival of the Gardaí;

— meaningful restorative justice to pay back any damages;

— community service such as clean-ups with Garda vetted bodies such as Tidy Towns Groups or other organisations as may be appropriate;

— increased Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) investment programme for playgrounds and high-value, high-amenity areas targeted regularly by anti-social behaviour;

— a clearer legal definition of what constitutes reasonable self-defence when being threatened, or assaulted by underage perpetrators, including having items such as sticks, rocks, glass and other implements being thrown at indivi

— zero tolerance for littering and increased fines as part of a wider social contract;

— further consideration for a ban on social media for under 16s as raised by Deputy Gogarty several months ago;

— better school attendance monitoring;

— a penalty points system for stronger action with repeat offenders;

— enrolment in education programmes where abuse is found to be motivated by the race, gender, sexual orientation or religious/cultural background;

— a faster, ticket-based reporting system for victims of anti-social behaviour to log and view progress on incidents, including an easier way to upload video and photo evidence to An Garda Síochána;

— a streamlined process for making statements and statutory declarations that frees up Garda time;

— additional educational and youth diversion resourcing;

— stronger focus on community policing to identify and deter potential anti-social behaviour;

— orders prohibiting anti-social groups from contacting one another for fixed periods; and

— recognition for positive social behaviour through a credits-based pathway system for valued community service or learning outcomes...

[Click here to read the full debate on the Oireachtas website]