Anti-social behaviour - Convictions’ drop is open to scrutiny

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the number of public order offences have been on the increase in recent years.

More and more people have been complaining about late night violence on the streets of our towns and cities, but figures published by the Department of Justice suggest that such offences are on the decline.

The number of people against whom proceedings were taken in 2004 is not yet available, but there was a drop of 2,384 in the official figures between 2002 and 2003.

This need not be taken as an indication of a decline in anti-social behaviour, because it may merely reflect a growing tolerance when it comes to certain aspects of such conduct.

The Department of Justice reported the conviction rate has dropped by almost 50% in the last three years.

In 2004, only 13,418 people were convicted for public order offences, compared to 20,934 in 2003, and 25,538 in 2002.

Bernard Durcan of Fine Gael contends that the conviction rate has dropped because many of the offences are caused by repeat offenders who have learned how to beat the system.

Serious questions must be asked about the efficacy of prosecutions when the statistics indicate such a precipitate decline in convictions in the midst of what appears to be a growing problem.