FOR decades the Department of Justice headquarters on St Stephen's Green has been characterised as Dublin's equivalent of the Black Lubyanka, repository of the State's darkest secrets. It was perhaps inevitable that some years after the files of the KGB headquarters in Moscow began to be made public, glasnost should reach our shores.
And the most remarkable thing about the Department of Justice paper on crime published this morning is that it lets us in on the biggest secret of all There is no plan.
Against the background of huge public concern about crime levels there have been schemes for new prisons, schemes for more equipment for the Garda, extra judges, a bit of cash for Victim Support - but no overall vision as to how these efforts fit together.
The discussion paper, Tackling Crime, contains admissions of many faults and makes what appears to be a heartfelt plea for help from anyone - Government departments, voluntary agencies, communities, universities - who might contribute to long term strategies to combat crime.
The paper is not without its gaps. Some of the most controversial areas of the criminal justice system are poorly covered, with the Department arguing they do not fit within the scope of the document or its own responsibilities.
But the Department has still produced a substantial document, somewhat reminiscent of the dancing bear: what is remarkable is not that it does it well, but that it does it at all.
Department of Justice officials probably did themselves a disservice in allowing it to be published this week, as the Government heads for a general election. Inevitably the paper will get caught up in the electioneering tit for tat. It has been about a year in the making and a little foot dragging to mid June might have been wise.
Yesterday the Progressive Democrats justice spokeswoman, Ms Liz O'Donnell, said the document was "a feeble attempt to impress an unconvinced public by an administration which has failed to convince the electorate that it can control crime".
"Taking the long view is all very well and laudable, but governments must take responsibility for the here and now," she said.
Fianna Fail's John O'Donoghue said it was "to a large extent a restatement of the obvious" and an election selection box which must be treated with grave cynicism".
It is true there is plenty of public relations guff in the 150 page text - reminders of already announced schemes and long forgotten "achievements". But at the centre of the document is the frank admission that the Department of Justice has run its business in a disjointed way, and needs to reform itself. It also needs the other State agencies to appreciate that they share the burden of tackling the causes, rather than the symptoms, of crime.
The paper argues that the agencies and society itself (in the form of the taxpayer), have not yet come to terms with what is needed to help the disadvantaged.
The cost of crime is, meanwhile, put conservatively at £600 million annually, and probably over £1 billion when private sector costs are taken into account.
The Garda is largely left alone, with the Department arguing it is currently conducting its own review. The independence of the judiciary and the Director of Public Prosecutions are also respected, perhaps over respected, in that any useful examination of their roles is left to one side.
Neither does the paper set out any specific programmes - a move which would require costings and thus clearance from the Department of Finance.
There is a welcome stress on "white collar crime" and also a new emphasis on alcohol abuse. Alcohol should be seen as an abused substance like illegal drugs, the paper suggests, given that (through violent murders and road accidents), it surely contributes more to killings than any other drug.
All in all this is a good paper, published at a bad time.