THE "zero tolerance" police system proposed by the opposition parties would result in gardai harassing the public over minor infringements of the law, the Minister for Social Welfare said yesterday.
Speaking at the launch of the Government's election campaign, Mr De Rossa said the "zero tolerance" plan, promoted mainly by Fianna Fail, was "nonsensical".
"People don't want that kind of New York zero tolerance," be said. "If people are coming borne late from a dance and singing in the street, they shouldn't be brought to the Garda station and hauled through the legal system."
The system would "inevitably" result in gardai "harassing people caught dropping litter on the street or caught with their dog fouling the pavement".
"It would be a terrible waste of Garda time," he said.
The Minister added that while measures would be taken to ensure more effective policing, gardai should be allowed to keep the discretion which allows them to, overlook or issue warnings for minor infringements of the law.
The Tanaiste has already said he favours "zero tolerance of crime", hut is against "simplistic solutions . . . especially policies that set out to criminalise young people for minor infringements".
Mr Spring and Mr De Rossa identified crime as an important election issue yesterday while the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, focused on tax.
The Government's "21 goals" mentions crime only twice, but includes a commitment to end unsupervised early releases from prison. This will require a significant shift of resources if the Government is reelected, as it has held the staffing levels of the probation and welfare service virtually static.
There are about 140 probation and welfare officers to supervise people sentenced to community service or released early from prison. The courts now refer about 4,500 cases annually to the service, while more than 3,500 prisoners are released early every year.
In a discussion document published last week the Department of Justice said it has long wanted to increase the number of officers employed, but this has been hindered by "delays in the recruitment process and general staff embargoes in the public service".
The 21 goals also make a commitment, under the heading of crime, to "safety in the food we eat and in the air we breathe". This is expected to be explained shortly.