Calls for curfew for under-18s to tackle anti-social behaviour in Cork

Local councillor Ken O’Flynn said there are people who are afraid in their own homes due to anti-social behaviour and burglaries in their area. File picture.

People in Cork are calling for a change in how anti-social and criminal behaviour by children and teens is handled by authorities.

The outcry follows reports of children as young as six engaging in anti-social behaviour, young teens drinking in the city and a busy bonfire night in Cork city.

There are children who are causing criminal damage to cars and houses – breaking windows, scratching cars – as well as snatching purses and handbags, according to Sally Hanlon, director of Support After Crime Services on Anglesea Street.

Local councillor Ken O’Flynn said there are people who are afraid in their own homes due to anti-social behaviour and burglaries in their area.

In the northside of the city, a group has reported that 10- and 12-year-olds are responsible for most of the degradation in their estate.

Mr O'Flynn said there is a lack of respect for society among these children and has called for a tightening-up of laws.

He has called for the city to adopt a curfew for under-18s similar to what is in place in Iceland where children aged 12 and younger are not permitted to be out in public unaccompanied after 8pm.

The independent councillor said Cork should introduce curfews after 10pm and a parent or guardian has to be with children under the age of 18.

Where a child is found to be breaking the curfew, a fine would be issued and taken directly out of the parent/guardian's wages or social welfare payment.

Such a system only works if there is also greater investment in clubs and facilities for young people, said Mr O'Flynn.

Gang-related

Many of the difficulties are gang-related, he said, and people are intimidated and frightened to report them for fear of becoming a target.

Young children, some aged eight or 10, are being recruited by gangs of older teens to throw stones and break windows.

"There are kids going to doors and saying 'Can I use your toilet, please? I'm stuck.' and then they are opening windows for other people to get in through," Mr O'Flynn told The Neil Prendeville Show on RedFM.

Speaking on the same show, Ms Hanlon agreed that parents should be held responsible when it comes to the actions of their children.

She said that where a child, who is too young to be prosecuted themselves, has caused damage or stolen something, the parents or guardians should be financially responsible for it.

Victims of these incidents are left feeling frustrated that there is little that can be done when the person responsible is underage.

Ms Hanlon said parents need to be aware of where their children are at all times and who they are spending time with. This is especially true in the case of younger children – those aged under 14 years.

Peer pressure

Some children are mimicking behaviours they see from older teens and may be misbehaving due to peer pressure to fit in with them.

"You look at children aged eight or nine, their mind isn't developed enough to know the impact that they are causing. It's a bit of fun," said Ms Hanlon.

"They don't know and then there are no consequences."

If the children are not taught what is right and wrong and they get away with things on a continuous basis then they will see nothing wrong with their actions and it is the victim who is left to deal with the consequences and costs, Ms Hanlon said.

She told the story of one woman who has been targeted recently with sewage being thrown at her door and was left "extremely distressed" the other day after a six-year-old used "foul and filthy" language when speaking to her.