McDowell praises crime fight success
Those provisional figures, now released every quarter, only relate to serious crime, while lobby groups and opposition politicians consistently claim there is large scale under-reporting.
In the first three months of the year, there were 23,659 serious crimes logged by gardaí, a drop of 2848, or 11% in the same period last year.
In the 12 months to the end of March, just over 96,000 crimes were reported, a drop of 7%.
Justice Minister McDowell praised the gardaí and said the figures confirm the “success of this Government in tackling the issue”.
The minister, warned those involved in the fight against crime to guard against complacency. Predictably, he said all the provisions of criminal justice legislation before the Oireachtas will be introduced.
At the weekend he repeated a pledge to introduce anti-social behaviour orders. And he also plans to overhaul the licensing laws and ease in a more continental cafe-style philosophy.
Labour’s Joe Costello used the figures to attack the minister’s record on tackling the “plague of anti-social behaviour” that he claims is making life a misery for many people.
“The statistics only relate to more serious crime,” Mr Costello said.
“Acts of vandalism, intimidation, assault and abuse, often left unreported because of a lack of confidence in the gardaí - are ravaging communities and destroying the quality of life for decent families.”
Mr Costello added that the minister has “spectacularly failed to deliver” on increasing the garda presence in these communities or to expand the community policing programme.
Mr McDowell admits more needs to be done. “This is reflected in the Government’s comprehensive approach, through, for example, the recruitment of an additional 2,000 gardaí and measures to strengthen the criminal law.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
