Makes you sick that society alienates people in those communities so much that they have no self worth, little education and hence little opportunity in life and hence generally turn out to be poor parents. Or that some scanger just loves letting his kid whack cars with a stick? You do realise that people in those communities probably would prefer a decent life, education and a job. But for some odd reason, they don’t normally have access to those things….wonder why that is?

Sick hearing it’s society’s fault when kids are let run amok and that more education and amenities would sort it out. I stay in a small Bulgarian city a few weeks every year. There’s few amenities, no money and very little hope for most families. There’s a huge gap between the haves and the have-nots but the kids don’t dare misbehave, because in the unlikely event that their parents didn’t punish them, the police certainly would. And the parents would be made make good any damage their kids did. The end result is a pleasant environment for all where nobody has to worry about random violence or vandalism. Make parents who don’t teach their kids respect responsible for their misbehaviour before talking about more amenities.

That’s a horrible and tragic story but this sort of law is indicative of the draconian lazy measures that get introduced to deal with youth crime. The real facts are that if these kids had something worthwhile to do in life they wouldn’t be out on the streets causing trouble. But the fix for that is long term and involves radical lefty policies like “education” and “social justice”. Easier just to stick on a curfew and give the cops powers to oppress people.

The big difference between here and Wales is the Police in Wales are actually accountable! It doesn’t matter how many laws you make in Ireland, if the Gardai don’t make efforts to enforce them!!

Martin, are they not being educated?

i agree 100%, tackle the cause first, we are centuries away from that kind of thinking in this country, we prefer to fill our jails here than to go for the cheaper option of equality, btw, these kids have been ordered under curfew several times by the district judge but have always ignored it

Eoin if you’re not aware of the correlation between educational attainment and living in areas of low socio-economic status then you probably haven’t heard about the moon landing either.

@Martin, they get alto more amenities than i ever had access to! take for example sherrif street area they have a massive playground, astro pitches, a youth club with indoor courts, a fas centre, adult education centre and schools on their doorstep! in my opinion they get way too much for free!

@Jake, ahh, they get it for free? So their parents don’t pay taxes then? :) You ever go to a park yourself? Or do you refrain because you object to “free” amenities?

@jake, but that is complete nonsense, there are no public amenities in the vast majority of towns and villages in this country, of course the city is going to have some but theres nothing at all for teenagers to do in my town, unless they are into gaa and not everyone is

Ah but Jake is opposed to schools on people’s doorsteps apparently, doubt he’d be up for building any “free” amenities in your local area.

Martin. Hearing about something does not entail necessarily accepting it. Ireland is equal, more or less, for the bottom 60-70 % after transfers. Blaming “society” for thugs is blaming the victim. This Polish woman probably had less growing up than the people who attacked her, by blaming the tax payer for not paying enough for the education of the people who attacked her, you are effectively blaming her if she is a tax payer.

And Ireland has far fewer people in jail than any other country, per capita. we keep hearing of assaults carried out by people with tens of prior convictions. We’ve done the liberal stuff, it didn’t work.

What about actual peer reviewed research from a wide variety of countries that says if you’re from a low socio-economic background you do not have the same educational attainment as others who are not. It’s not hearsay.

What would you suggest then? A return to the days of corporal punishment and kids being raped by priests to bate a bit of sense into them? Where’s your bloody concern for your fellow human being ffs.

@rodrigo.. Maybe you should research your answer more, police in Ireland are accountable. They have discretionary powers but discretion can’t be used if there is an injured party.

I know I’m going to get a load of red thumbs for this, but I have to say I think this isnt a bad idea. I live in an inner city flat (council) complex and therefore feel I have every right to comment on this. Some of my neighbours sons have left school with very good qualifications with several of them going on to do courses in DITs. However these same “well educated” teenagers who have grown up with the advantage of living in a CDP area, where they have availed of weeks/weekends away, sailing, absailing,, rock climbing, 2 weeks in clongoes wood every summer and summer projects – all free, are also heavily involved in anti-social activity. If adults tell them to get off the stairs the response is generally “shut up you mind your own business or we’ll burn you out of your gaff/car”. Of course there is always the option of keeping your mouth shut and just ringing the gardai, but usually they say they will send a car out but never actually do. Their parents of course have the attitude – my child, no my child wouldnt do that, even though their children have been arrested and prosecuted on several occasions. The last time these teenagers were prosecuted 9 of them were put on curfew orders (8pm – 8am). We didnt know our peace while this curfew was in place.
I totally understand why people living in the “suburbs” would think that this type of response is draconian and OTT, but they are not the ones living with this problem day in day out.

Peasant: i do not believe your story, you are exaggerating, fibbing, creatively expressing your social anxiety with fictitious crap. If not prove it: which town? App which date was the Polish woman attacked? I will check the news dating from that time and report back. I actually know you to see, i live close by, and you sir are spouting absurd and dishonest rubbish.

Correction, it should be “starting” not “staring”

I agree totally with this measure. The only thing I’d say is that seven days a week is maybe a bit much, and that 10pm might be a more workable start time.
We’re talking about fourteen and fifteen year olds here. Sunday to Thursday they should be at home in the evening, either in their own homes or the homes of their friends. How does this “demonise” them? And hanging around public places – at night – with your buds does not constitute engagement with your community. In fact if we’re speaking of corelations, I’d say there’s a negative corelation between young teens’ involvement with their community and the likelihood that they’d be in the city centre, unsupervised, at midnight.
The fact it’s a blanket ban, on all under-16′s from all backgrounds, is good. Some kids feel, often rightly, that guards are more likely to “pick on” them. Here at least, the police can say “We’re not sending you home because you’re a trouble-maker. It’s because you’re thirteen.”

I disagree. I think this is an outrageous measure.

In the US, black people make up the majority of those arrested for robbery and theft. Does that mean a similar measure should be imposed on them, e.g. black people should only enter a shop with supervision?
The same arguments could be put forward, i.e. the measure applies equally to black people from all social backgrounds.

I did indeed read the article with a years experience of living and working in Wales, sadly in swansea’s case young and middle aged seemed to have been out of control, case in point, reported actual crime incidents drink and drug related in swansea on a sat night make Dublin sound like Vatican city. swansea at weekends is quite simply like the wild west.

Fishing nets and motorbikes!

Yeah, nah, your kids are gonna hate you.

What age are your kids Lynne LongSurname ??

Why would you have your kids running around a pub? If you’ve your children with you anywhere, the onus is on you, the parent, to have them behave. Otherwise, you must take them, and yourself, away from the premises. The venue is immaterial.

Is it ok to bring them to a (licensed) restaurant?

Concerts? Sports events?

I totally agree.

I totally agree with you.I hate this society as well.

How much crime on its main night strip is being committed by under 16s? Did you even read the article?

Stop speaking sense Paul. We should just give the police power to round up and intern anyone who’s acting the bolox. Also the immigrants. They’re freeloaders too, especially the French.

Martin. This new defence of immigrants is a bit weak. Earlier on in this thread faced with a brutal attack on a Polish immigrant you blamed “society” rather than the people involved.

Oh Eoin you old word twister. In the very first sentence of my first post I said the attack was disgusting and tragic. You right wing nuts like to paint people like myself as ardent defenders of people who commit crime. My point is about how do we turn around people who are on that bad track? How do we prevent further crime of this sort? And that’s where society and the complete moral bankruptcy of the one we currently live in, where pursuit of profit is more important than basic needs for all.

They wouldnt be hanging around the streets if their parents gave a damn about them and were parenting properly.