Shane Moynihan

Good morning, David, and thanks for having me on.

I think like most of the country, we were all of the view that all new scramblers were a huge issue across Dublin, the broader country.

The tragic death of Grace Leith Lynch brought that into very extreme focus for us all.

And as you said, the regulations have been enacted.

I think now it comes down to

Making sure the brave women and men in An Garda Fíochána have the equipment and the training to be able to tackle and make the tactical interventions to deal with the people that are using these scramblers to not only, you know, intimidate or to occupy public spaces, but also that are being used to transport drugs and provide kind of protection.

support to criminal activity around the country.

So that enforcement piece now and making sure that Gardaí are appropriately trained and appropriately equipped to ensure that enforcement takes place needs to be a priority for the leadership around Gardaí.

They're still very visible, David, to be honest.

I mean, we have many green areas in my constituency where, you know, you have a scrambler that's being used.

And it's not just being used as a recreational purpose.

It's being used to intimidate people out of the space.

And I think that's kind of one of the worst things on a sunny day like this.

You bring your kids to a park and there's a few people wearing balaclavas, using a scrambler to try and intimidate people out of that space.

We see them on roads in my own constituency last night at 2 a.m.

the reports of two people using scramblers, wearing balaclavas, driving them dangerously and causing possible harm to themselves and to others.

So they are there on the roads.

And while they're having a lot of success in seizure under Operation Macken, I think now this pursuit piece is where we need to make sure that we deal with them in the round.

when they're there.

But certainly I would say that for the vast majority of people who want to enjoy public spaces, scramblers have become an intimidating menace.