Thugs terrorising communities on bike and e-scooters has led to crisis talks where it was heard an elderly woman was knocked over and told “go f*** yourself”.
The pensioner in her 80s received the vile abuse as she attempted to climb back onto her feet, following the attack by a yob on a scrambler bike in Dublin.
Following the incident discussed September Special Council Meeting, the government has been urged to take urgent action to tackle the growing “scourge” of illegal scrambler bikes. The motion was put forward by Social Democrats Councillor Daniel Ennis, who called for a dedicated policing and policy plan to deal with the issue he described as intertwined with “open drug dealing” and “anti-social behaviour.”
Independent Cllr Vincent Jackson said the elderly woman spoke with him about the incident and that he finds it difficult to comprehend how society has gotten to this point. “You can’t buy fireworks in Ireland, yet you can buy scramblers and electric bikes,” he said, questioning how this problem was allowed to escalate unchecked for so long.
Cllr Ennis highlighted videos on social media “taunting the guards and doing circles around them” and cited further citizens being attacked by scrambler riding youths. “Summerhill is now effectively a scrambler track, it’s madness,” he said.
The issue drew strong support across the council, with Labour Cllr Dermot Lacey stating that anti-social behaviour in Dublin had reached “epidemic proportions” and that many no longer feel safe in the city. He cited a lack of community safety forums and low levels of engagement with Gardaí as a major point of concern, reports DublinLive.
Independent Cllr Cieran Perry branded the lack of urgency over the past decade on this problem as “astonishing.”
He demanded Gardaí should confiscate bikes directly from the homes of culprits.
“Everyone knows who these people are. Let’s take the bikes off them, they’re expensive and that will show them there’s consequences to their actions.”
However, others concentrated more on prevention rather than punishment, with People Before Profit Cllr Conor Reddy declaring Dublin needs a “different approach.
“I’m not one for law and order, I don’t think it works. I think evidence of the ‘war on drugs’ over decades proves that,” he said.
Fianna Fáil Cllr Keith Connolly revealed there have been some successes with Garda operations and mentioned the dozens of scramblers that have been confiscated by police in Ballymun.
“But they just buy them again the next day,” he added.
A “zero-tolerance” approach to unlicensed vehicles is what’s required according to Fianna Fáil Cllr Daryl Barron.
He also demanded early education in schools to prevent young people being lured into criminality and drug dealing.
Cllr Barron said he’s heard reports of Garda feeling powerless to halt juvenile offenders, for fear that they could be prosecuted for attacking youths.
“We want to see that the Garda are empowered to deal and tackle this,” he said. Sinn Féin Councillor Janice Boylan warned this escalating crisis will result in “more injuries, more danger, and potentially more deaths.”
She emphasised the urgent need for proper youth diversion programmes, stressing this matter requires immediate attention from councillors, TDs and ministers alike.
Fine Gael Cllr Supriya Singh raised alarming concerns about the devastating impact on migrant communities.
“This is not just anti-social behaviour, it’s destroying the very fabric of our society. It is appalling that people live in fear because of the colour of their skin,” she declared.
Social Democrats Cllr Jesslyn Henry revealed her heartbreaking personal connection to the crisis, having lost two students and a neighbour to scrambler-related fatalities.
“That’s three young men who could have been saved with a plan in place,” she stated.
Independent Cllr Gavin Pepper highlighted the alarming drug-related recruitment of youngsters as a major worry, explaining how dealers “buy scramblers for kids” which drags them into criminal activity.
Green Cllr Janet Horner argued that proper policing committees would prevent such debates from being necessary.
Sinn Féin Councillor Daithí Doolan insisted this crisis cannot be “solved by policing alone.”
He condemned years of government cuts to community and family services, which have only worsened social issues including scrambler-related criminality. In his closing remarks, Cllr Ennis reflected on his own past, stating he had been “saved by a diversion programme” and emphasised the importance of offering similar opportunities to others.
Subsequently, the Council agreed to urge the Minister for Justice to promptly develop and implement a comprehensive, dedicated policing and policy plan to tackle the ongoing menace of illegal scrambler use on city streets.