Leitrim councillor says fining parents won't tackle youth crime

A Leitrim councillor has given his views on a Dublin TD's proposal that fines for parents and curfews should be considered to crack down on antisocial behaviour by young offenders.

Speaking to the Leitrim Observer, Cllr Padraig Fallon said that he didn't believe that this was the route to take to tackle crime amongst youths. "I don't think that would work. I think there needs to be more resources given to youth diversion programmes and we need to see an increase in the number of Junior Liaison Officers (JLOs) with the Gardaí. It's my view that that's the approach that needs to be taken."

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Cllr Fallon, who was involved in getting the local youth club up and running again as well as volunteering with the local GAA club and working with Community Development, said that penalising parents, in his view, would not be effective. "I don't have an issue with curfews being imposed on youths when they come before the courts or prior to that, particularly where you have individuals who are, for want of a better word, out of control or repeatedly offenders."

Cllr Fallon was speaking after Dublin Deputy Paul Gogarty told Newstalk: "I've had an absolutely overwhelming amount of queries from adults in relation either to their children who have been attacked randomly in parks.

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"Sticks, stones, bricks being thrown at parents with buggies. A woman had three e-scooters pass her back again, throwing water over her.

"There have been shoplifting incidents in cafes where the bottles have been taken out and then thrown over the staff."

Cllr Fallon said that the reason he didn't believe fines for parents would work was because "the data will tell us that in most instances, this arises in poorer communities and low-income families and I don't see where they will get the finances to pay such fines." 

He continued that he believed there is "an onus on us as parents - my youngest two are teenagers - to know where their children are and there obligations on us as parents around their behaviour and how we raise them as well but I don't think fines would work; I've seen this issue been raised a number of years ago as well and I don't believe it will be work."