UP TO 2,000 cans and bottles of alcoholic drinks have been seized by gardaí in Dublin over three weekends, following the introduction of new Garda powers.
The Intoxicating Liquor Act 2008, which came into operation on July 30th, allows gardaí to seize alcohol from under-18s, or from adults in possession of alcohol in a public place.
Insp Patrick McMenamin from Pearse Street Garda station estimated that the confiscated alcoholic drinks on display yesterday were worth about €5,000.
Insp McMenamin said the cans and bottles would be disposed of by Dublin City Council in an environmentally-friendly way.
A council spokeswoman confirmed that the alcohol would be disposed of at the Ringsend wastewater treatment plant, with the cans and bottles recycled.
Alcohol seized included well-known drinks brands such as Budweiser and Guinness, as well as budget-priced drinks such as Dutch Gold and Buckfast. Bottles seized included a large bottle of King Cobra, which is a double fermented lager with an alcohol content of eight per cent.
There was no champagne or fine vintage wine on display, but several bottles of the popular Concha Y Toro wine were confiscated.
The 2,000 cans and bottles were confiscated in more than 700 seizures in the greater Dublin area. About 25 per cent of the alcohol was taken from under-18s.
“The remainder would have been taken from adults. We’d be satisfied that some of that would have been destined for young people,” Insp McMenamin said.
The alcohol was seized in streets, car parks, public amenities, laneways and other public areas. Insp McMenamin said the drink had been bought legitimately, but he did not single out any particular form of retail outlet for supplying the alcohol.
“That’s not the issue. The issue is the on-street drinking and the public order and anti-social behaviour,” he said.
“An Garda Síochána . . . would also appeal to parents and adults who are minded to supply alcohol to young people that they have responsibilities too,” Insp McMenamin added.
He said that not many prosecutions arose from these seizures as people escaped a conviction if they surrendered the alcohol. Under– age drinkers would be referred to a juvenile liaison officer, he said.
Insp McMenamin said the new powers would help to reduce anti-social behaviour. “They do enable us to be more effective in dealing with issues of anti-social behaviour, underage drinking and public order.”
He said the new powers would also help gardaí in their policing of underage drinking often associated with celebrations following the release of the Junior Cert results.
Dublin Lord Mayor Eibhlin Byrne thanked gardaí for their work in cracking down on drinking in public places.
“We have a duty to ensure that our city and neighbourhoods are places where everybody feels comfortable,” she said.
“In some areas excessive street drinking has led to citizens feeling threatened. This cannot be tolerated. As a council we have an obligation to safeguard the social fabric of our city”.
