ONLY 33 per cent of the electorate intend to vote in the bail referendum on November 28th, according to a poll conducted by Young Fine Gael.

The survey was carried out on a sample of 628 people last Wednesday, and Thursday at eight centres nationwide.

It also reveals that the overwhelming majority of those who intend to vote will support the proposal to widen the grounds on which bail can be refused. Seventy one per cent of those polled plan to vote in favour of changes; 19 per cent intend to vote "No" while 10 per cent did not know how they would vote.

Twenty seven per cent said they had been a victim of crime in the last year and 69 per cent said they did not feel safe on the streets "during the day or night".

The vast majority - 92 per cent - did not believe crime levels would have decreased in five years. Only 8 per cent thought crime levels would have decreased.

Launching a document on hail reform, Young Fine Gael yesterday endorsed the wording of the amendment to the Constitution published by the Minister for Justice, Mrs Owen.

Legislation was essential, it said, not only to give effect to the amendment but to protect the public from those who used the legal system to avoid prosecution.

Young Fine Gael suggested that it should be an offence if an accused breached a condition of bail, with a further penalty being added to the sentence when the person was convicted. This sentence should be consecutive and not concurrent.

"Furthermore, the person's bail should be automatically revoked if he breaches a condition of his bail, unless he can show that the matter was out of his control," it added.

Protection of the innocent must remain a cornerstone of all the laws and a legal framework must be designed which "tilts the balance in favour of the public interest".