A South Dublin County councillor raged against persistent anti-social behaviour after he chased down a pair of teen thieves in a local shopping centre.
Paul Gogarty tackled the robbers after they stole soft drinks from a fast food counter in Liffey Valley.
The two boys, who were described as being no older than 14, had initially been throwing chair around the food court before stealing the drinks and attempted to make their escape down a nearby escalator.
Colourful councillor Gogarty, who was queuing for a coffee at the time, gave chase and managed to recover one of the bottles.
Speaking afterwards, he said: "I decided to give chase and caught up with them on the way up to M&S.
"Managed to get one and grab the bottle off him but the other had slipped by so I kept after them until I saw a security guard and got them to radio ahead.
"Having returned the bottle back the gentleman behind the counter insisted on paying for the coffee I had ordered."
Former TD Gogarty, who famously went on an expletive-filled rant in the Dail against Emmet Stagg in 2009, then raged against persistant anti-social behaviour and urged people to take a stand against it.
He said: "The point I am making is that although this sort of crap happens regularly in shopping centres it also continues into random attacks on other teenagers and older people outside if you give people a taste.
"We need to stand up to bad behaviour if it’s safe to do so and call people out for any poor behaviour whether it’s being abusive, stealing or dropping litter.
"You can’t judge a book by its cover but these guys looked well dressed and had styled haircuts. They likely come from 'good' homes and their parents might well be shocked at their behaviour.
"But whether they are shocked or not there need to be consequences and boundaries or else all of society will disintegrate."
He continued: "In the past they would have been dealt with by an older person or neighbour but those days are gone.
"I for one am fed up with people getting away with unkindness online and off.
"We need to give everyone an equal opportunity in life but if people take advantage of others less powerful than them in particular situations they need to learn a lesson.
"From more Garda resources needed to rich people needing punitive action for buying drugs from vulnerable kids, from thoughtless cigarette butt throwers to one punch yobs, we need to collectively take action."
