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mentality among some young men who feel the need to carry a knife. The response to date has been about more gardaí, stop-and-search powers and longer sentences, none of which are really going to address the problem. My question to the Minister regards the antisocial forum … report? The reality is that gardaí are really stretched and with respect to longer sentences, we have an overcrowded prison system. On stop-and-search powers, there was a report commissioned by the Minister's own Government in 2021, which said that such powers are not going

parents where appropriate, or similar, proportionate measures that encourage co-operation and act as a deterrent; — enhance the ability of shops to search and detain shoplifters pending the arrival of the Gardaí; — meaningful restorative justice to pay back any damages; — community service such as clean-ups with Garda … coming at you with sticks, are you allowed to grab the stick out of their hands? Are you allowed to hit them to stop them hitting you? These are situations in which people want to know how they can defend themselves. Equally, we have to ensure vigilante gangs