Opposition parties attacked the Government's policing policies today after new crime figures highlighted an increase in drug, weapons and anti-social behaviour offences.
Labour Party justice spokesman Pat Rabbitte said the new Central Statistics Office (CSO) numbers "paint a grim picture" of the extent of the drug crime problem in Ireland.
The figures indicate that the number of controlled drug offences increased by more than one quarter last year, the number of weapons offences jumped by 15 per cent and that there were, on average, 145 disorderly conduct offences per day in 2008.
"The drug offences increase of 25 per cent year-on-year to the end of 2008, will be a sharp reminder to Justice Minister Dermot Ahern as to the extent to which he has failed to get to grips with this problem to date," he said.
Mr Rabbitte said the drugs problem around the country is getting worse and that profits made from drugs dealing is feeding a "deadly cycle of gang violence".
"While drug seizures have increased significantly, the fact of the matter is, that the quantity of drugs seized is estimated to represent as little as 10 per cent of the amount that actually gets through for sale on our streets."
Fine Gael justice spokesman Charlie Flanagan said the CSO figures indicate that Ireland is currently experiencing an anti-social behaviour epidemic. "The sharp increase in offences involving young men with knives, which are a notable component of the culture of anti-social behaviour, shows that the scourge of antisocial behaviour is worsening despite the introduction of ASBOs," he said.
The CSO statistics show that possession of knives increased by 15 per cent last year and by 34 per cent over the past two years.
Mr Flanagan said the key to tackling anti-social behaviour lies in community policing and the 25 per cent cut in Garda overtime this year combined with the freeze on civilian recruitment will mean fewer gardaí on the beat in communities," he said.
"With a disturbing rise in aggravated burglary last year and with gardaí predicting that burglaries will continue to rise in 2009, community gardaí are essential in terms of intelligence gathering and monitoring suspicious activity in the neighbourhoods they serve.
"If anti-social behaviour is to be addressed and the State is to prevent further stabbings and allow communities to live peacefully, the Government must deliver on the issue of Community gardaí."
