Minister urged to tackle ‘scourge’ of scrambler bikes ‘terrorising’ Dublin
Dublin city councillors have urged Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan to tackle the “scourge” of young people on scrambler bikes “terrorising” Dublin communities.
Introducing a motion calling for action from the minister, Social Democrats councillor Daniel Ennis said scramblers are “running amok” right across the city.
“It’s all intertwined with the open drug dealing and the serious levels of anti-social behaviour we’re seeing across the city,” he said.
“I want a plan that empowers the gardaí to act, because at the moment, there’s no plan.”
Mr Ennis said he had seen people on the bikes “taunting” gardaí and doing circles around them.
He said the four-lane road running through Summerhill had now been effectively turned into a scrambler track, saying the situation had descended into “madness”.
Independent councillor Cieran Perry agreed with Mr Ennis and said there was “no urgency” from authorities to deal with this issue.
“This has reached crisis proportions. We have youths in the area terrorising their own communities,” he said.
“Absolutely terrorising their own communities, and there is no proper co-ordinated response.
“The gardaí are told not to chase them, but the resources aren’t there when they’re not on their bikes,” he said.
Mr Perry said there are no consequences for the young people on the bikes, and this needed to change.
“The situation will not change until the consequences are clear,” he said.
A vast majority of councillors from all political persuasions agreed with the motion, with it passing after more than 40 minutes of lively discussion.
Another measure suggested is the introduction and enhancement of long-term youth diversion initiatives, including “educational, training and upskilling programmes”.
Providing positive alternatives for young people is the only way to address the root causes of the issue, the motion said.
A lack of facilities in Dublin for young people was also highlighted, as motocross clubs in the city come under increased pressure from insurance costs, with some being forced to close.
A spate of incidents involving young drivers of scrambler bikes have been reported this year.
Last month, a four-year-old girl in west Dublin was seriously injured by an electric scrambler bike driven in a hit and run incident.
In April, a teenager was killed after a crash involving a scrambler bike and a car in southwest Dublin.
The Department of Justice has been contacted for comment.