Passengers are being "terrorised" on public transport and a dedicated transport police force should be introduced, a local TD has claimed.
Details of a number of shocking incidents of anti-social behaviour on the Luas in recent weeks emerged on Monday.
In one incident, a woman's hair was allegedly set alight by a gang of teenagers while in a separate incident, a young armed teenager was arrested by gardai after threatening fellow passengers and damaging a tram.
Fianna Fail Spokesperson on Dublin, John Lahart, claimed his party would introduce a dedicated transport police force if they return to power following next month's General Election.
He said: “We have seen a steady rise in the number of reports of assaults and incidents of anti-social behaviour on public transport.
“Passengers are being terrorised on the way to and from work on a weekly basis and it is our hope that a dedicated public transport police would act as a deterrent for those carrying out these attacks and incidents.”
“The prevalence and threat of violence is deterring users of public transport and is causing serious delays to public transport."
A Garda spokeswoman told Dublin Live: "An Garda Síochána is not considering the establishment of a transport police unit at the moment.
"An Garda Síochána continues to work with public transport providers to prevent and tackle anti-social behaviour.
"A noticeable example of this ongoing co-operation occurred in September 2019.
"An Garda Síochána took place in a Rail Safety initiative on Friday 13th September. Fifty Gardaí were involved in patrolling one of the busiest travel periods of the week on a variety of transport modes."
She concluded: "The initiative involved engagement between An Garda Síochána, Iarnród Éireann, Transdev (operators of LUAS) and other members of the Rail Safety Advisory Council to support transport operators in ensuring a safe and secure travelling environment for customers.
"Further initiatives such as this are envisaged for the future."
