Parents told to check on children

Parents share some responsibility for the upsurge in physical assaults by and against young people, a senior garda has said.

The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Peter Fitzgerald, admitted concern at the rise in the number of attacks in Dublin in particular, and said the latest batch of graduates from Templemore would help boost the already increased numbers of gardai on the streets.

The attacks were a two-edged sword, he said. Young people were the victims, but in many cases they were the perpetrators, too. "Parents especially have a big responsibility to know where their children are and what they are doing, and to keep channels of communication open to them at all times."

Speaking after he announced this year's Irish Security Industry Association awards scheme, Mr Fitzgerald added that it was much too early to say if there was a link between extended pub-opening hours and increased incidence of street violence.

Alcohol was undoubtedly an element in many attacks, and the summer months tended to bring many more young people on to the streets, "but you have to study the figures to see what the reality of this apparent upsurge is".

Mr Fitzgerald said the force was also conscious of attacks against immigrants and asylum-seekers, and the Garda's community relations department had set up a liaison section to deal with recent arrivals to the State.

The president of the ISIA, Mr Grahame Pickett, said that in the wake of recent high-profile attacks on individuals, the Garda and the private security industry needed continuing community assistance.