Irish Examiner View: Crime surge must be monitored

NOW that the threat from the Coronavirus appears to be receding, we need to exhibit greater awareness of another, no less dangerous menace within our midst. While overall crime figures have dropped over the past few months, one of the most worrying fallouts from the easing of restrictions has been a rise in violent attacks in recent days.

When strict lockdown measures were introduced towards the end of March there was a noticeable drop in some - but by no means all - forms of crime. The number of domestic burglaries fell considerably but at the same time commercial premises were targeted by roaming gangs trying to take advantage of closures.