Sir, - Recent reports in The Irish Times have provided a frightening picture of the climate of violence on our streets.
They also suggest that the level of violence among young people may be related to the much vaunted Celtic Tiger economy which is contributing to social and cultural changes that lead to a feeling of insecurity in our homes and on the streets.
Those who are closest to the problem say that violence is a symptom of more fundamental problems, social, educational and economic. Efforts to prevent or treat it will have little success as long as our society does little to ameliorate the social conditions that are the breeding ground for youth violence. It must also be borne in mind that there are adult as well as juvenile delinquents, who must share the blame for the problem of underage drinking, for example.
In our school system the yearly examination results producing squeals of joy from the high achievers must necessarily generate a great deal of hate in the losers. Added to this is the increasing paralysis of fundamental institutions such as the family, agencies of government and policing, and a lack of concern for social equality and equal opportunity.
Without a sense of real commitment to attacking such problems we are likely to find the levels of violence rise still further. - Yours, etc.,
John F. Fallon, Boyle, Co Roscommon.