Tackle the causes of urban delinquency

DEPUTY Billy Kelleher has called for a curfew system in certain areas of Cork city as a means of tackling anti-social behaviour. The proposal is reactionary, lacks vision, and will ultimately compound the problem. It is the easy answer.

Mr Kelleher has a responsibility not only to protect the rights of local residents but also to identify the reasons for the high level of anti-social behaviour in a given area.

This is why I find his comment regarding civil liberties so abhorrent. If removed from any section of our society, then civil liberty ceases exist. You cannot select when the individual’s civil liberties apply and when they do not.

I believe Mr Kelleher’s time would be much better spent attempting to eliminate the root causes of anti-social behaviour, such as social deprivation and the inadequate youth facilities in areas throughout Cork city.

Instead of adopting a progressive approach, the deputy has chosen to promote a plan that carries with it the horrible stench of zero-tolerance. We are dealing primarily with kids and adolescents, most of whom are already detached from wider society.

Mr Kelleher’s curfew proposal forms part of the enforced criminalisation of young people. If implemented, it will further marginalise those caught up in a vicious circle and set us back years in the fight for a better society. He should withdraw this ill-advised proposal.

Darren O’Keeffe

44 Leesdale

Model Farm Road

Cork