Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Crime in Ireland and elsewhere

A few weeks ago, my newspaper published the following small item under the headline "Murders reach record in Ireland":

DUBLIN – Homicides in Ireland rose to a record last year, increasing 25 percent and prompting calls for tougher sentences for murder and gang crime. Murders and manslaughters rose to 84 from 67 in 2006, while drug offenses rose 22 percent to 4,423, according to the Cork-based Central Statistics Office.

"While the rise in headline crime has to be seen against the background of the unprecedented rise which is taking place in our population, the fact is that each crime is a crime too many," Justice Minister Brian Lenihan said. Ireland's population has risen almost 17 percent in the last decade, to 4.2 million.


"The cheapening of human life evident in the crime figures demands an urgent response," said Charlie Flanagan, justice spokesman for the opposition Fine Gael party. – AP

Philadelphia, on the other hand, has averaged about 400 killings a year the past two years.

© Peter Rozovsky 2008

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4 Comments:

Blogger Uriah Robinson said...

What are Mr Nutter, Betsy Ross and Ben Franklin doing about it?

Has Philly taken over from Baltimore, East St Louis or Detroit as the murder capital of the USA?

You be careful out there.

February 27, 2008  
Blogger Peter Rozovsky said...

In fact, possibly the most violent city in the United States is Camden, New Jersey, right across the Delaware River from Philadelphia. But yes, Philadelphia did have the highest homicide rate of any large American city at least one of the past two years.

Mr. Nutter has appointed a new police commissioner, who is making noises about hiring more police, putting more police on the streets, and getting tough in other ways. We'll see what happens.

February 27, 2008  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Peter,

most likely you did realize that the dispute about a strategy for Afghanistan between Germany/Europe and the USA centers around the question whether peace should be brought primarily by military force or whether an improvement of living conditions is also important.

Just wondering whether there would be any message for Philadelphia

February 28, 2008  
Blogger Peter Rozovsky said...

In the U.S., the question of police force or improving living conditions is less a debate than a sort of call-and-response prayer. One side ritually intones, "Law and order"; the other responds, "Improves living conditions."

February 28, 2008  

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