Norwegian media is an interesting country as it covers more robbery’s then murder. Compared to the rest of the world and including Ireland where we cover murder more. Even though robbery is far greater an accurance then murder. In Ireland we have actually got a low crime rate especially with murder. Rape in Ireland is one of the highest in Europe but as statistics on rape are hard to be trusted as only something like 5% of crimes are reported (i.e. we could have a much higher rate of rape then everyone else or just the Irish report it more then anyone else. Rape unlike anyother crime is very hard to statistically anaysis). Anyway back to murder. While must people like to jump on the bandwagon of Ireland = Boyz in the Hood. Vincent Browne has always be one who has talked realistically about crime. During the election the week in Politics had Frank Luntz do a few focus groups on the issues. People talked about how they were so scared about crime, how they feared for their safety. Then Frank asked “in the last year how many have had members of your family vistims of crime”. No one out of an audience of 50 put their hand up. The reason so many of them are afraid of it is becuase every day in the news we hear about crimes and murders. So people think it is everywhere yet if you look at the coverage. You get a good few days news coverage out of one murder. You get the murder, then the investigation. then the arrest, then the trail and then the imprisionment. While there has been only one crime, because it getes so much coverage it seems far greater.

Anyway back to Vincent Browne it was nice the way he did not add to the histeria and glamourising of crime, that is until the The Wayne O’Donoghue story special of his Village Magaine appeared. See crime espeically murder sells in this country. And this one murder which happened a few years ago is constantly brought back again and again to remind people to be afraid.