Small- and medium-sized businesses have lost faith in the judicial system and do not believe it is protecting them from rising crime, according to a survey published yesterday,
writes
CONOR POPE.
The research, by the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association, found 88 per cent of businesses feel the judiciary has been ineffective in adequately deterring crime.
The lobby group, calling for tougher sentencing, said there had been “absolutely no effort forthcoming from our well-paid judiciary to rectify” the crime situation.
It said a third of its members had been victims of a crime over the last 12 months and said crime was costing €1.48 billion a year.