John Curran T.D. has called on the cross-agency group, set up to tackle the illegal use of scrambler and quad bikes, to prioritise new legislation that will provide Gardaí with the necessary powers to seize Quad and Scrambler bikes, based on intelligence led investigations carried out by An Garda Síochána. Deputy Curran received new information recently from Justice Minister,
Charlie Flanagan on the matter.
“Communities plagued by anti-social Scrambler and Quad Bikes have been abandoned by Fine Gael. In the Minister’s reply to me he has stated that the Garda Commissioner has written to him advising him of potential new legislative changes which the Gardaí believe could assist in improving policing in this area. “The Minister; having received this response from the Garda Commissioner in June of this year; has done nothing to progress the legislative changes advised by the Garda Commissioner and required to combat this dangerous anti-social behaviour. The Minister has simply sat on this new information from the Garda Commissioner for almost 5 months with no action on the matter. “Local Gardaí policing our area are unable to engage in high speed chases in the housing estates or large green spaces where these bikes are being used, due to the greater concerns for public safety. Gardaí are therefore not in the position to seize a vehicle from a person who is blatantly and illegally misusing it.
“It needs to be made an absolute priority that these changes to legislation are introduced so that we can support our Gardaí to seize a Quad or Scrambler from an individual’s home. The cross-agency taskforce is currently considering the formal views from the Garda Commissioner on this matter and I am urging them to urgently prioritise legislative change to combat this issue,” concluded Deputy Curran.
