{"id":285118,"date":"2026-02-07T04:41:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T04:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/285118\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T04:41:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T04:41:10","slug":"gardas-gangland-team-being-drafted-in-to-catch-scrambler-users-in-finglas-dublin-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/285118\/","title":{"rendered":"Garda\u2019s gangland team being drafted in to catch scrambler users in Finglas, Dublin \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Garda<\/a> operation is being put in place in Finglas<\/a>, Dublin, to tackle the illegal use of scramblers and e-scooters<\/a> following the killing last month of Grace Lynch (16) by a man on a scrambler.<\/p>\n

The Dublin Crime Response Team (DCRT), which tackles mid-level organised crime, is being deployed, along with members of the Roads Policing Unit, in an effort to surge resources for a clampdown over coming months. Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said he was determined the lawlessness would be tackled after the \u201chorrendous\u201d killing of Grace.<\/p>\n

He also revealed garda\u00ed would soon have so-called DNA spray, which is sprayed at offenders and their vehicles while they are being targeted by garda\u00ed during offending on the roads or in the commission of other crimes. Each canister of spray is unique and enables law enforcement to later link scramblers, e-scooters and offenders to the incidents when the spray, which takes months to fade, was used.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is also the use of drones, the use of enhanced vehicles,\u201d Kelly said of ramping up enforcement, adding nine new Garda members were assigned on Friday to Finglas, where Grace was killed. These would join local members and their colleagues being drafted into the area from roads policing and the DCRT.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the passing out ceremony for 167 new garda\u00ed at the Garda College, Templemore, Co Tipperary, Kelly said there was already legislation in place allowing Garda members to seize scramblers \u201cin certain circumstances\u201d. New provisions would soon strengthen those laws. While the force could engage in a campaign of \u201cpublic messaging\u201d in schools in particular areas to reach young people using scramblers and e-scooters, a surge in enforcement was also required.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Ireland\u2019s debate about e-scooters and scramblers is unmoored from realityOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Pursuing people on scramblers was a \u201cdifficult issue\u201d for police forces internationally. Identifying the people who owned the vehicles and then securing warrants for searching their homes, and seizing the scramblers, would be a key part of the increased enforcement activities in the weeks and months ahead.<\/p>\n

Minister for Justice Jim O\u2019Callaghan said the Garda had already \u201cseized a considerable number of scramblers\u201d last year, as well as e-scooters and e-bikes. However, the Garda also recognised \u201cmore needs to be done to protect\u201d people against scrambler users in some communities.<\/p>\n

While garda\u00ed could pursue offenders on the roads \u2013 including those on scramblers \u2013 chasing scramblers was dangerous and if someone was injured or killed during such a pursuit \u201call the focus and criticism would be on the garda\u00ed for the pursuit\u201d.<\/p>\n

He believed the Garda would perhaps be most successful by searching homes and other properties and seizing the bikes so they could not be used again.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, new provisions about to become active would ban the use of scramblers \u201cin any public place\u201d, resulting in a much clearer legal position and \u201cmaking it easier\u201d for garda\u00ed.<\/p>\n

Of the 167 recruits who passed out at the Garda College on Friday, 104 are being posted to the Dublin Region, 31 to the Eastern Region, 21 to the Southern Region and 11 to the North Western Region. Their passing out brings the size of the Garda force to 14,564.<\/p>\n

A further 410 Garda recruits are currently training at the Garda College, and are due to pass out in the coming months, while a new intake, of up to 215, will begin training next Monday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Garda operation is being put in place in Finglas, Dublin, to tackle the illegal use of scramblers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":285119,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[45,615,41618,137170,42,61415,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-285118","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-an-garda-siochana","9":"tag-dublin","10":"tag-dublin-11","11":"tag-escooters","12":"tag-headlines","13":"tag-justin-kelly","14":"tag-news","15":"tag-top-news","16":"tag-top-stories","17":"tag-topnews","18":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285118"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285118\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/285119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}