Crime figures - Our streets must be made safe

THE National Crime Council Report published yesterday examined various aspects of public order offences over a five-year period. The real level of such offences is about twice the official figure.

Almost 43,000 public order offences were prosecuted in 2001, but as many again were treated informally by the gardaí and dropped. In Dublin, where 40% of the crimes were committed, most of the prosecutions either failed or were dismissed by the courts, which was particularly demoralising for gardaí.

Public order offences increased by 161% between 1996 and 2001. This was in a period in which the Government came to power promising "zero tolerance" as one of the main planks of its political platform. It is further proof, if any were needed, that this Government's promises have not been worth the paper on which they were written.