THE Department of Justice is hoping to enlist the help of other Government departments and agencies in developing new long term strategies to combat crime.
Department officials are preparing a discussion document - Strategy for Tackling Crime - to be published next month.
It will argue that all Departments and agencies have a responsibility to take steps against crime in their areas, and may call on them to publish their plans for doing so.
The document is intended to start a public debate about the causes of crime. It will attempt to give an overview of crime in the State, and the social and demographic factors which influence crime levels.
When the overall crime figures for last year are determined by the Garda, they are likely to be close to the 102,500 indictable offences recorded for 1995. Officials recognise that commitments to extra policing and tougher laws will not be enough to reduce crime significantly.
The discussion document will place more emphasis on examining the causes of crime, and trying to address the social issues which lead to criminal behaviour.
The Department of Justice regards its own role as essentially reactive - responding to crimes and criminals - but considers the solutions to social and other problems which cause crime lie in other areas.
Local authorities, for example, could be encouraged to think more about crime in the early stages of planning housing estates, and avoid dark open spaces and laneways where residents are vulnerable to attack. A greater effort to teach young people the dangers of drugs is also considered necessary.
The document will include an assessment of the roles of the courts and prison systems, and the likely impact of the planned crime council - already announced by the Minister for Justice, Mrs Owen - which would allow community groups to have a voice in formulating crime policy.
It will also examine the coverage of crime by the media and suggest that the media are often erroneously criticised for heightening fears of crime. It will say the media are reflecting a genuine public concern at crime levels.
No specific initiatives are proposed in the document, nor does it estimate the cost of committing extra resources to deprived areas to reduce the causes of crime.
Officials are understood to be concerned at the increasing trend towards the introduction of new crime legislation and policies in response to specific events.
Prisons, for example, tend to be discussed in public only in the wake of crises such as the Mountjoy hostage drama. Much of last year's anti crime packaged was a response to the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin in June.
The discussion document is strategies to replace the "fire brigade" approach to crime policy in recent years.