TD calls for urgent initiatives to tackle knife crime following fatal Tallaght stabbing

Mr Richmond has published figures showing that 44pc of knife seizures were among people aged 12 to 23.

He warned that parents and teachers are finding knives in school bags and lockers.

Similar programmes to tackle knife crime in Scotland have seen "homicides reduce by more than half", the Dublin Rathdown TD said.

"The death of a young man in Tallaght once again shows how knife crime continues to cast a tragic shadow across our streets and our communities, with 999 knives seized by gardaí so far this year alone," Mr Richmond said.

"One thousand and fifty-seven people have been charged with knife crimes in 2021; this is on top of 2,286 people in 2020. The statistics show many knives are being seized from younger people. Between 2005 and 2019, 44pc of knife seizures were from those aged between 12 and 23.

"I have heard too many stories of parents, teachers and siblings finding a knife in someone's school bag, under their bed or in their school locker.

"To tackle this, we need to expedite the plans to tackle knife crime at source.

"Programmes such as knife amnesties, mentorships, education programmes in schools, youth diversion services and youth training programmes have had huge success in Scotland, where they saw homicides reduce by more than half.

"By implementing these programmes we can stop this crime before it happens, saving lives and transforming communities.

"While stronger sentences are important, these alone are not a sufficient deterrent - and often by the time it gets that far, it's too late.

"Knife crime needs to be treated as a public health initiative as much as a criminal justice matter, with the required support programmes provided in communities."

Mr Richmond said financing for the programmes could come from a proposed community safety innovation fund, which would put cash seized from criminals into crime-stopping initiatives.

More than €16m in cash was seized from criminals in 2020.

"We owe it to those affected to expedite the establishment of the community safety innovation fund and put it to use in tackling the growing scourge of knife crime," he added.