I’ve been thinking a lot about The Broken Window Theory of law and order lately.

It comes to mind every time I watch RTÉ’s Crimecall, and look on aghast while the most brazen crooks imaginable simply walk into a supermarket, or drive into a petrol forecourt, take what they like, and head off without paying. Many of them don’t evem bother to hide their identity.

I thought of the theory again this week, when figures on fare dodging on public transport in Cork were released, and revealed that more than 7% of bus passengers last year had no valid ticket.

Crimes like these are often viewed as petty and victimless - small-time stuff committed by chancers.

And after all, the supermarkets and oil giants can afford to lose a few euro here and there while they rack up massive profits, can’t they? Sure, the large shops even factor the cost of shoplifting into their accounts.

While fare dodgers are only wheedling their way out of paying a euro or two, aren’t they, the cheeky scamps?

Well, every crime does have a victim, and in these cases, it is the law-abiding folk, like you and I, who have to pay more at the tills, at the pumps, and on buses and trains, to subsidise the ones who think that life owes them a free pass, and they can take what they like.

The damage caused by such visible, brazen crimes goes much deeper than that.

This is where The Broken Window Theory comes into play.

It states that if a society allows small signs of disorder and crime (such as broken windows) to go unchecked, it can lead to a decline in the neighbourhood, and encourage further criminal activity,........

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