Madam, - In his response to the latest figures which show violent crime to be soaring, the Minister for Justice has claimed that the increase in the crime rate is in line with what might be expected given the large increase in the population over the past five years.
Is he seriously suggesting that the increase in crime is entirely the fault of immigrants and toddlers under the age of five? The notion that crime must inexorably rise in line with an increase in population is patent nonsense. For example, the Irish population was also growing between 1994 and 1997 during the Rainbow government, yet crime fell by 11 per cent during those years.
The only clear difference between then and now lies in the policies pursued by the respective governments. - Yours, etc,
BARRY WALSH,
Brookfield Hall,
Castletroy,
Limerick.