Crime figures - Stiff test for new justice minister

Crime figures released yesterday make harrowing reading. Murders and manslaughter are up 27%, along with kidnappings, while assaults and instances of harassment are up 10% on the previous year.

Burglaries are up 4%, theft up 3% and fraud up by 17%.

Public order offences are up 7% and drug offences have increased by 31%, and there was a 129% jump drug driving offences. On the other hand, robbery, extortion and hijacking are down by 7%, which includes a 43% drop in cash-in-transit raids. Sexual offences declined by 8% to 1,248. In the 14 categories of crime listed, there were increases in ten and a drop in four, while the overall crimes increased by 6%.

The figures indicate a stiff test for the new Minister for Justice, Dermot Ahern. He admitted that some of the trends are “disturbing”, but he took solace from improvements.

The minister faces an enormous challenge, but it should be seen also as a major challenge for Fianna Fáil, which came to power in 1997 with the promise of tackling the rising crime.