Rural crime should not be ‘overhyped’ Muintir na Tíre

Having founded the community alert system 30 years ago, Muintir na Tíre is well placed to measure changes in crime trends.

In its recommendations to the Oireachtas justice committee, it identified hysteria in the public debate on crime as a major problem. While rural crime should be highlighted, it should not be "overhyped", it urged.

“[The] fear of crime can be almost as harmful as the actual effects of crime, particularly amongst vulnerable and isolated people,” it said.

Its suggestions for how the State could chip away at the comfort zone for criminals should be compulsory reading for Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald and her senior officials.

It suggested repeat burglars and other offenders should not continue to get free legal aid indefinitely. Instead their legal bills should be tallied and treated as a loan, to be repaid from their social welfare over time if necessary.

"The gang recently convicted for a raid in Tipperary had 315 previous convictions," it noted of those who attacked the Corcoran family and whose legal teams were all paid by the State.

It said the money saved by the more restrictive approach to legal aid for criminals could be used to give legal representation to victims. This would be a groundbreaking move.

Muintir na Tíre believes gardaí should keep victims updated about investigations in a faster and more regular manner via email, rather than the outdated and “one-size- fits-all” current practice of sending two letters by post.

It suggests that the sanctions currently available to the courts are not deterring many criminals.