<B>By Nicholas RAINER</B>

The tourist peak season is approaching fast. In order to deal with criminal elements drawn to this manna, the authorities have decided to increase the police presence in tourist hot spots. Tourists are usually greeted at their hotels with a warm smile, a cocktail and a flower necklace. The day when each visitor is assigned a policeman might not be that far away. Admittedly, such vigilance could contribute to solving the country?s unemployment problem. If the government really is serious about attracting two million tourists by 2015, imagine how many policemen will be needed to protect them. A career in law enforcement is thus highly promising.

Police visibility is definitely a deterrent against crime. Yet posting a policeman every few metres is hardly a sustainable solution. Not only does it do nothing to address the real causes of criminal activity, it also reduces the number of law enforcement officials needed to respond to crimes of which ordinary Mauritians are the victims. Despite the vital role they have to play in the maintenance of law and order, the police are starved of the most basic resources. During a recent visit to a police station in the North, I was stunned to see the following computer print out attached to the door of a police cell: ?Cell Out of Order?. The mind boggles.

It?s common knowledge that crime can, in large part, be attributed to two factors: poverty and drug addiction. Worse still, the two tend to feed off each other. If the causes of crime are so glaringly obvious, then why have we been so unsuccessful in combating them?

Boredom and idleness are powerful drivers of drug-use. As society gears itself towards feverish consumerism, people are becoming inured against the simple pleasures of life. A healthy way to stave off these evil twins is to encourage young people to engage in sports and cultural activities. This requires sports facilities, resources and teachers. Yet all three are sorely lacking. You can see the importance government gives to sports and the arts just by looking at the politicians assigned to the two portfolios. Visionaries, it?s safe to say, they are not.

As for the issue of poverty, it?s painfully evident that the will to eradicate it is waning. Every single day, the haves are getting a little richer (give or take a mood swing or two in the world money markets) while the have-nots become more in the mired in debt. This is a worldwide trend. In the UK, for example, statistics show that the gap between the rich and the poor has never been more pronounced. More than two centuries after it swept across the developed world, the industrial revolution (the shift from home-based manufacturing to factory production) has yet to convince of its role in creating a better world.

It?s not that there are insufficient resources for everyone; it?s just that they?re so unequally distributed. Consider this: Americans have spent $24 billion on dieting since the beginning year. Yesterday, more than 19 000 people died of hunger. And, as long as there are poor and hungry, crime will flourish. No matter how many cops walk the streets.