Which Laws To Obey?

Sir, - I note with interest the report from your Drugs and Crime Correspondent (The Irish Times, September 23rd), in which he…

Sir, - I note with interest the report from your Drugs and Crime Correspondent (The Irish Times, September 23rd), in which he quotes senior Garda officers as saying that enforcement of all laws would damage the force's relationship with the public.

I take it from the foregoing that there are some laws which senior Garda officers have decided not to enforce. It would be very helpful all round if a list of them could be published. The general public would then know what laws they could ignore with impunity and concentrate on obeying those which are going to be enforced. Better still, perhaps the Garda could publish two lists, one showing laws to be obeyed and the other showing laws to be ignored. This would also enable our hardpressed legislators to tidy up the statute book and remove from it those laws which are not going to be enforced. - Yours, etc.,

From M. D. Kennedy

Silchester Park, Glenageary, Co Dublin.