FIGURES showing a rise in violent crime have been greeted with alarm in political circles. Opposition parties warned that one of the Government's primary functions is to safeguard the security of citizens. They also demanded that crime remain at the top of the Government's agenda.
Fianna Fail's spokesman on justice, Mr John O'Donoghue, described the viciousness of crimes as "alarming and disquieting".
It was inexplicable, given the major increase in sexual offences, that the Government had recently refused to establish a national register of paedophiles, particularly given the high rate of recidivism, he added.
Mr O'Donoghue called for a range of measures, including the reform of the Criminal Procedure Act in order to guarantee that trials be held within 90 days of arrest.
Ms Liz O'Donnell, justice spokeswoman for the Progressive Democrats, said the reported increase in murders and sexual offences was particularly alarming.
"Murders increased from 25 in 1994 to 41 in 1995. And, so far this year, about one murder a week has been committed. Sexual offences increased by a massive 43 per cent over the year.
"These are very worrying trends, and confirm the need to keep crime firmly to the top of the political agenda", she said.
However, Democratic Left TD Mr Eric Byrne said the figures "indicated clearly that the rate of increase was slowing down".
"While it is clearly unacceptable that over 100,000 crimes should have been recorded last year, I am encouraged by indications that crime levels nationally are starting to plateau - indeed, the rate of increase in recorded crime has been falling steadily since 1993."
But he expressed concern at the rising number of offences against the person and "an increasing willingness to resort to violence".
Though Dublin suffered nearly two thirds of the nation's crime, it continued to "lag behind in terms of policing resources". Only a third of gardai were deployed in the capital and the city was disproportionately hit by the decision to move members of the force to the Border in the wake of the BSE crisis.