I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this matter on the Adjournment.
The plague of joy riding continues unabated in many parts of Dublin and it has escalated in recent months because of the ease with which people can access cars on the black market. Some irresponsible people, who know their cars may not pass the national car test, conveniently leave them available to be stolen or go so far as to offer a financial incentives to have them taken away. Young people are being encouraged to take the cars and drive them without care for their safety or that of anybody else. The policy of car testing was not thought through when the NCT was introduced. The outcome is that stolen cars, freely available, are being driven recklessly and are then abandoned and burned out.
My colleague, Deputy Broughan, earlier this year called for a comprehensive programme of measures to control and end car related crime. He has asked repeatedly for multi-agency task forces similar to the drugs task forces to tackle joy riding. The resources identified as being needed to fund such an initiative include better education facilities in disadvantaged areas, more youth and community centres, motor courses to encourage first time offenders away from car crime, local estate management and additional help for hard pressed gardaí.
The Labour Party Bill in April last called for the prosecution of anyone who supplies or offers to supply a vehicle to an under age driver. Car owners and dealers must act responsibly and ensure that their older vehicles are lawfully disposed of. There is also a responsibility on the motor industry, vehicle manufacturers and car retailers to ensure the safe disposal and scrappage of their products.
A further stumbling block to the disposal of cars is the lack of an adequate facility for disposal. As a matter of urgency it should be ensured that all cars taken off the road are disposed of in a secure manner and in a way that will not allow access to under age, uninsured drivers. Money must also be made available to ensure young people have access to community and sports facilities so they can focus their energies on safe and productive activities. Communities that are struggling against the odds are often the immediate victims of joyriding and the disposal of burnt-out cars. This has a demoralising effect on those working to ensure a good and safe environment for their children and is most lamentable. There has to be responsibility for the communities terrorised by gangs of youths involved in this anti-social behaviour. The communities deserve protection from these activities and a hard-line approach should be taken with anyone found guilty of encouraging or allowing lawbreakers to operate but equally, facilities and supports must be made available to allow young people caught up in joyriding to refocus.
In my constituency this is an ongoing problem which is made worse by the ready availability of these cars. The real victims of this anti-social behaviour are the residents, who are terrorised on a nightly basis by dangerous and irresponsible driving followed by the abandonment and burning of the cars in their neighbourhoods. There are issues of law and order, safety, community support and the environment to be considered here. I ask the Minister to take decisive action to protect the affected communities and to contain this anti-social behaviour.
