Violence on tram

newtodublin1

Hi all, I’m new to Ireland having lived in Dublin for a couple of months now. My query is have I just been unfortunate or is this the normally accepted behaviour in Ireland?

For example today at around 3pm I was taking the tram home and at the “Dominick” stop a group of about 15-20 teenagers/some maybe younger got on the tram. One of them had a crow bar and was proceeding to jam it between the doors so they could not close while many others ran up and down the tram wildly. At one point one of them threw a bottle which very narrowly missed the back of my head. This whole ordeal held up the tram by at least 5 minutes and myself and other passengers were clearly very anxious at what was happening.

I have lived in other cities across Europe as well as my home country and have never seen anything like this. It is really making me question my decision to live and work here and certainly my decision to use the tram. I am just surprised as this happened very central to the city centre in the middle of the day. In my country the parents of these young people would be reprimanded for allowing their children to demonstrate this behaviour.

I have also seen other instances of anti social behaviour on the tram since moving here but this one in particular has frightened me from using the tram in particular.

As this seems to be a problem, is there any steps in place to improve security on the trams/penalise these young people/their parents for this behaviour?

Atlantic Dawn

The Red Line is best not travelled on outside of peak times as it's completely over run with scum that society is afraid to police. I'd not use a phone or display jewellery on it outside of peak time, have your wallet or purse within touch as you travel.

boombang

Their parents have no shame and the authorities do no seem motivated to address the situation. It is not a political issue for some reason and I don't see anyone demonstrating any leadership to change matters.

Fizzy Duck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119098883#Comment_119098883

The red line is bad, but it doesn't serve Dominick Street. That's the green line.

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119098883#Comment_119098883

It's not a political issue because politicians don't tend to take public transport. The people who make the laws of this country of course wouldn't be seen dead on a tram.

Jequ0n

Nice reheated topic, OP.

_Kaiser_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119099412#Comment_119099412

What's your point? The OP shouldn't have raised it because you consider it done to death or something like that?

Personally, aside from the actions of these "kids", this part stands out to me:

It is really making me question my decision to live and work here and certainly my decision to use the tram.

That right there is not a perception we want to see. Aside from dissuading people to use PT, it speaks to a far larger concern about attracting and keeping skilled workers and have them continue to help pay for it and everything else in this country.

Mongfinder General

Is there anything that can be done? You must be joking. That would mean enforcing the law or tackling the scumbags involved in the crime.

Jequ0n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119107474#Comment_119107474

What about continuing an existing thread on the same topic?

As if this didn’t happen in other major European cities. The only difference is that elsewhere you’d get a significantly tougher treatment by the police, but it’s not a deterrent either.

_Kaiser_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119108418#Comment_119108418

OP seems new to the site, but even if not (I can never tell who's a re-reg and don't care anyway if what they post is interesting), it doesn't take away from the points they're raising.

There is too much of this pedantic railroading and discouragement of discussion through attempts to push everything into ever lengthening threads on this site - new threads and contributors is exactly what this place needs, especially since the botched relaunch last year that has seen many leave the site entirely.

In any case, the OP has an entirely valid point here that IMO is even more relevant by him being a relatively new arrival to our shores and yet already shocked and discouraged by what he's experienced of our public transport and the lack of enforcement of basic rules of law and civility.

Jequ0n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119108841#Comment_119108841

Go ahead and make a difference then if Dublin is so much worse then the rest of the civilised world. Some more whinging in a new thread will make a difference instead of continuing an established one.

goldenmick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119109384#Comment_119109384

The OP is new to Boards and it's his/her first post. Maybe they didn't think to look for an existing thread of similar ilk.

Also, if it was added on to an existing thread then you'd maybe have to read through dozens or even hundreds of posts to get the gist of it, before you even got to this OP's post.

Additionally, it's none of your business who posts what on here. You're not a Mod. And the only one "whinging", as you put it, is YOU.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119109384#Comment_119109384

Best of luck using search

Jequ0n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119109478#Comment_119109478

“Also, if it was added on to an existing thread then you'd maybe have to read through dozens or even hundreds of posts to get the gist of it, before you even got to this OP's post.”

That’s the idea of a continuous thread, rather than a snippet in time. But alas.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119109478#Comment_119109478

Oh come on, can you not cop a BS thread when you see one

The OP is no more 'new to Dublin' than i am

goldenmick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119109550#Comment_119109550

Every persons "bad" experience on public transport is different. So each one poses different questions.

There's been another mass shooting in the US today. Do we just add it on to the last mass shooting thread, or is it ok with you if someone starts a new thread?

If we all added stuff on continuation threads then there would be very few new threads on Boards, and everyone would then piss off to other forums.

So stop whining.

Jequ0n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119109617#Comment_119109617

So what is this thread if not whining? And I don’t mean the OP, but the inevitable responses which make it sound like Dublin is worse than a war zone

CrookedJack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119109577#Comment_119109577

No one from any major European city would say there's no anti-social youth problems, it's ludicrous. It's not long ago there were riots of youths in London, Paris, Barcelona, several Italian cities, many parts of Greece. Berlin is a famously unsafe city. In comparison, in almost every metric Dublin is extremely safe.

I don't believe the OP one bit. This is just another "Doler scum" dog-whistle thread.

goldenmick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119109667#Comment_119109667

People are entitled to voice their opinions. It's a discussion forum.

As for making it sound like "Dublin is worse than a war zone", get a grip. People are just talking about anti-social behaviour.

Don't bother replying again as I wont respond. You're boring and cant accept you've an opinion that's wrong. If you want to continue moaning about continuation threads then aim it at a Mod. Not that it will get you anywhere.

Jequ0n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119109728#Comment_119109728

Yeah whatever.

Patrick2010

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119109699#Comment_119109699

Have to disagree about Berlin being unsafe, was there a few years ago and never had a single issue on their public transport day or night. On the streets you'd see highly visible groups of armed police. It felt completely safe.

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119109699#Comment_119109699

"not long ago" - outlier events over a decade ago.

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119112561#Comment_119112561

Funnily enough, I had the very same experience the last time I was out in Dublin for a weekend.

Except for the armed police.

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119109699#Comment_119109699

Ditto. It's a troll Irish person just trying to poke the "isn't Dublin sh*t and full of scumbags" fire.

Citrus_8

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119109699#Comment_119109699

Em, what sources? Dublin is in the middle of the safest European capitals. Berlin and London are much safer as police is more proactive.

I think the problem is that Irish people are too sensitive when some outsider with a better experience living in other countries and being less biased tells something isn't right. Instead of focusing to arguing how they're wrong we should focus identifying problems and fixing them. Arguing how things are good is basically is being lazy to change and too proud to admit stuff should be improved.

CreadanLady

Since the offenders are under 18, there is nothing that can be done. The law here is very soft against serious offenders, and it is even softer still bordering on non-existent for under 18s. An under 18 would pretty much have to murder someone in order to have some sort of significant reprecussion from the law.

Citrus_8

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119113486#Comment_119113486

That's very poor. Laws should be changed so that from 14 years old responsibilities increase gradually. For some reason teens think they're entitled to drinking, smoking, stealing or just getting new phone, tablet from parents at its best but not feeling accountable and responsible for their actions. Also, parents. If they're unemployed, the government should send social workers to check on family and make sure parents are raising children responsibly while out of job market. Should go to some courses etc.

CreadanLady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119113623#Comment_119113623

Ya but in this day and age the government would never be able to pass a law that criminalises teenagers.

Also, what is the point of social workers calling to homes of delinquents. The chances are in a lot of cases, the parents aren't going to give two tuppenny fúcks what some young wan from Tusla might say to them. They have no power to do anything much, except in the very most extremem cases of neglect and a child being in imminent danger of serious harm.

Sure there was a report on the radio there of how Tusla sent out a few thousand letters to parents for their kids missing over 20 days school without good reason. In a large part of the demographic who would be getting those letters, the parents wouldn't give two shíts about it and throw it in the bin. They'd only laugh at it.

This is Ireland - The Republic of the BrazenNeck. Once you realise that there are basically no significant consequences for petty crime and antisocial behaviour including assults, and if you have a sufficently thick neck and don't give a flying fúck about authority, then you are pretty much free to do as you please, with the only issue being the occasional inconvenience of a few hours in court where you get Probation Acts, utterly pointless ASBOs, poor box donations and suspended sentences.

Citrus_8

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119116824#Comment_119116824

This is very sad and upsetting reality to read about. Great country but these people ruin the whole pot.

sam t smith

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119109577#Comment_119109577

Welcome to the big smoke!