SERIOUS crime is mercifully rare in this Island, but that is not to say that it is entirely absent.

Nor does it mean that we can turn a blind eye to certain patterns of offending which, although not necessarily in the most serious categories, are unacceptable.

In particular, far too many public order offences are committed on the streets of St Helier and far too much disorderliness is driven by drink.

Most Islanders will be aware that town – or rather certain parts of town at certain times of the night – can be rowdy and unpleasant thanks to the anti-social antics of a minority who drink to excess. However, just how acute the problem has become is evident from the results of the latest Jersey Annual Social Survey. These indicate that 12 per cent of people are unwilling to venture into town because they consider it to be unsafe to do so.

This, frankly, is a frightening statistic in an Island which, in broad terms, prides itself on the quality of life available to its residents. Even if it can be argued that the 12 per cent of respondents who avoid going to St Helier are overestimating the peril faced by ordinary law-abiding citizens – as opposed to members of the rowdy crowds – the situation is clearly anything but ideal.

This is certainly recognised by Home Affairs Minister Ian Le Marquand. Since his days as the Island’s Magistrate he has been saying that our licensing laws need to be reformed to diminish the prevalence of drink-fuelled disorder.

Measures such as raising the age at which alcohol can be bought from off-licences from 18 to 21 and increasing the penalties for licensees who allow drunkenness on their premises might well improve the present position. So, too, might zero-tolerance policing – provided that the police are able to mobilise the resources to enforce such a policy.

That said, the real solution to public order problems is almost certainly going to require much longer-term, carefully planned intervention aimed, through good parenting and educational initiatives, at altering attitudes to drink and standards of behaviour.

No one would imagine that it is going to be easy to undermine the binge drinking culture that is at the heart of our public disorder problems, but that is what we must do if our late-night streets are to be reclaimed for the majority of Islanders capable of enjoying a night out without becoming part of an unruly mob.