It seems that children as young as nine are causing problems for the mobile Luas security teams combating antisocial behaviour. The company said that children between the ages of nine and 15 can be the most troublesome group and they’re accused of being loud and fearless, with no understanding that their behaviour is upsetting fellow travellers.
Transdev, who run the Luas light rail system in Dublin, said that crime and antisocial behaviour on trams has decreased in the past two years but they remain concerned about racist and other forms of abuse directed toward its staff.
That’s a pity because travelling on public transport in this country has always been considered safe and it would be a pity if that was to change.
Young people often come in for criticism and sometimes that can be justified, especially when they are causing trouble. They regularly get the blame for anti-social behaviour, noise and everything else that interferes with our quality of life.
They sometimes wear their trousers halfway down their backsides showing off their underpants. How this is fashionable, desirable or even practical, is completely beyond me and I have no idea why they think that anyone wants to look at their jocks. But then, I’m not young anymore so what do I know?
It’s not right to tar them all with the same breath though; the majority are only younger versions of us, trying to enjoy themselves. They rarely get the credit they deserve for the positive contributions they make to society. Many of them are actively involved in community life but that’s not the first thing we think of when we meet a group of them.
When we see young people gathered together, we feel a bit intimidated. We take evasive action and cross to the other side of the street. We automatically assume that they have only one agenda, which includes making life uncomfortable for the rest of us.
We’ve all been guilty of jumping to conclusions and we are quick to point the finger of suspicion based on nothing more than the way a person is dressed. We regularly judge people on where they live or how they speak, just like I did on one occasion in Dublin when I had reason to use the Luas.
It was a Saturday evening and I was travelling, with my wife, to the Plaza Hotel in Tallaght from Liberty Hall so I picked up the Luas in Abbey Street.
The Luas was packed at that hour of the evening and standing room was at a premium. Four teenage lads got on in the city centre. I would guess that they were about fifteen or sixteen years old and they just about managed to find a standing space near the door, close to where I was sitting with my wife. There was nothing unusual about their appearance, but I just noticed them.
Because of my previous occupation I suppose, I was automatically conscious of my wife’s handbag. She had it on her lap in front of her and I was thinking that if one of these guys grabbed it as the door opened and ran off, then that would be the end of that.
I was mentally going through my pockets trying to remember which one my wallet was in and where my phone was. I had already marked these kids as potential threats without any evidence whatsoever.
You often find when it comes to groups, that the smallest guy is usually the loudest and that was true in this case. The small one was full of chat while his three buddies appeared to be very quiet.
The small guy spotted a girl who was sitting down. She was well hidden behind a crowd of people standing between the two of them and they looked to be about the same age. She was with some other girls and she had a guitar case with her.
As the Luas progressed through the various stops, the crowd of bodies swelled even more until there was a wall of people separating the teenagers. They couldn’t see each other but they still carried on a conversation over the sea of people without any eye contact. The result was hilarious.
They spoke to each other as if they were the only two people in the carriage and as if they had known each other all their lives. She asked him at one stage what he looked like and he described himself as being tall, blond and blue eyed. He was in fact no more than five foot two with dark hair. He tried to get her to play the guitar and they discussed favourite bands and music. They discovered they had some friends in common.
While this was going on, he took the time to welcome all newcomers to the tram as they got on at the various stops. Not in a smart or insulting way but in a pleasant manner. As people got off, he thanked them for travelling with him on the Luas and he hoped that they had had an enjoyable journey. Everyone smiled at him.
This went on for half an hour or so and throughout that entire time I didn’t hear one wrong word from any of them. He was simply having fun and everyone within earshot was enjoying his antics.
When we got off at the end of the line in Tallaght, he said goodbye to everyone and headed off. I was sorry that the show had come to an end and I felt guilty for my previous suspicions. I have no idea who they were, but it was a pleasure to have shared their company if only for a brief period.
Dublin is still producing nice characters and they’re not all wrecking the place.