Crime is drying up. Happily, there is a silver lining.
Armed robberies are up.
In the first six months of this year, the number of raids has risen to 61, compared with 29 in the same period last year. God bless the robbers. The Minister can go on the News at One and talk tough. He will, he assures us, be telling senior Garda commanders to focus their attention on the organised criminals who specialise in armed robbery. Let's think, for a moment, about the criminal masterminds behind the majority of armed raids.