The law which criminalises the possession and use of fireworks has become an anachronism in our society. Failure by successive governments and ministers for justice to address the gradual shift in public attitudes towards fireworks and to enforce, or amend the law, has left the Garda S∅ochβna in an impossible situation.
For weeks now, the night sky above Dublin and other major centres of population has been alive with exploding fireworks as children and adults ignore the law and follow the example of their British and EU neighbours. The result is a situation where Irish criminal elements are making very large amounts of money from the sale of illegal, sub-standard fireworks and are using those funds to develop other criminal activities.
Serious physical dangers are involved. The Garda recently held a press conference to publicise the risks that children run when they play with fireworks. Officers showed the effect an exploding banger has on a plaster-cast hand and, in the process, provided graphic evidence of the vulnerability of human flesh. Doctors and nurses in the casualty departments of hospitals see the damage all too frequently. This emphasises the need for parents to treat fireworks as extremely dangerous toys. And the Garda have asked parents to confiscate them in order to protect their children. For themselves, they say they are treating the matter with great seriousness, have made regular seizures and will prosecute those involved under the casual trading laws.
Last year, one seizure alone was valued at £1 million. This year, usage has risen again. But the criminal gangs involved appear to have evaded detection. Official sources suggest that materials purchased north of the Border can sell for twice as much in the Republic. That 100 per cent profit margin trebles or quadruples when sub-standard Chinese fireworks are imported from Asia. It is a lucrative business for criminals and must be stamped out.
If the Government is not prepared to enforce the terms of the Explosives Act, it should legalise fireworks and impose quality controls by allowing sales through identified outlets. Such a move would not only remove an important source of income from established criminal gangs, it would make fireworks safer and add to the Government's revenue.