The Minister for Justice has said 'sinister' figures who are leading young people into a life of crime need to be put in prison.

On Friday, Minister Helen McEntree said that incidents like the recent one in Cherry Orchard, Dublin, in which a Garda car was rammed, are a result of 'total contempt' of the law.

The Minister visited locals, politicians and Gardaí in Cherry Orchard on Friday "to engage with the community to see what more I can do and how much more I can support, not just an Garda Síochána, but also the community".

She told On The Record that she is working on a bill that would punish criminal gangs targeting children to be their pawns.

"We have to go from one extreme to the next to try and nurture and support people at a younger age so that they don't go down the path where they have absolute disregard for everybody", she said.

"Then, the people who are encouraging on that path, they need to be put in prison, they need to be put away, they need to be treated with a very heavy hand as far as I'm concerned because they are the ones who are bringing these young people into the fold."

Social media

The Minister also believes some of the problem is children engaging in anti-social behaviour with the intent of recording and posting it on social media for popular apps like TikTok.

Video of the incident in Cherry Orchard has been widely shared on social media, and widely condemned.

Ongoing investigation

Gardaí have searched six houses and a number of mobile phones and items of clothing were seized for examination and analysis.

No arrests have been made and investigations are ongoing.

Gardaí responded to reports of dangerous driving just after 7.30pm on Monday, and saw two vehicles driving erratically.

They say the Garda vehicle was "deliberately rammed" on a number of occasions during the incident.

The two Gardaí in the patrol car at the time were not injured, but have subsequently reported unfit for duty.

Listen back to the full conversation here.