The lack of political leadership on the refugee crisis at a European level (‘Refugee Crisis to worsen as borders are shut’, September 15) will be a source of dismay for people across the country who had demanded a humanitarian response to a humanitarian catastrophe.

Your coverage of the failure to resolve the issue of undocumented Irish during the White House meeting between Taoiseach Enda Kenny and US President Barack Obama (Stalled US immigration progress ‘disappointing’, March 18) will have brought St Patrick’s Day celebrations in many homes to a swift end.

One of the failings of our systems for recording crime highlighted in the Garda Inspectorate Report (Irish Examiner, November 12) is the failure to accurately reflect levels of racism and hate crime.

An important aspect of the current debate on direct provision which is being overlooked is the practice of placing suspected victims of sex trafficking in centres which are not safe or secure.

Our newly-elected councillors and MEPs have a duty to show political leadership on the issue of human trafficking for sexual exploitation which has brought organised crime to communities across Ireland.