CRIME IN KERRY has increased “at a significant rate”, one of the county’s TDs has claimed.
Speaking in the Dáil today, Michael Healy-Rae said that thieves had stolen from a number of homes on the weekend of 25 February.
There was six home invasions in the Muckross, Loughguittane and Glenflesk areas of Co.Kerry by thieves who made their way along a back road out onto the main N22 Killarney-Cork road, thousands of euro was stolen and jewellery, they even went as far as robbing All Ireland Medals from a house.
Healy-Rae went on to say that another incident in Ardfert saw a pensioner tied up for hours and robbed of a “substantial sum of money”.
Just one more example recently was the sum of €7,000 was netted by thieve who robbed two creches and a residential home in the Tralee area of Co.Kerry, the Minister for Justice is telling people that crime is going down in Ireland, but Ceann Comhairle crime was never as high in Co.Kerry and the above a just a few examples.
Taking questions in place of Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald, junior minister David Stanton assured Healy-Rae that gardaí worked actively in the area and around the country.
“The scale of Garda activity against burglary and property crime – under Operation Thor – has led to concentrated Garda activity with more than 52,400 crime prevention patrols and in the order of 74,300 targeted checkpoints nationwide.
“There have also been in the region of 4,400 arrests and 4,900 charges covering a range of offences which, in addition to burglary have included handling stolen property, possession of firearms and drugs offences.
“The Deputy will be aware that the CSO official recorded crime statistics for Q4 of 2016 show a decrease in burglary offences of 30% when compared to the previous twelve-month period. This reflects the success of the concerted Garda drive against crime being implemented under Operation Thor.
In fact, CSO figures for the Kerry Garda Division show a reduction in Burglary (54%), Theft (20%) and Robbery (55%) for the twelve-month period of 2016 when compared to the same period in 2015 – which parallels the implementation of Operation Thor.
Healy-Rae said that he himself has been burgled in the past and had invited the perpetrators to return, an invitation which hadn’t been taken up.
He said that seven people he knew had been victims of crime, but only three had reported it. He said that CSO stats were “only as good as the information” that were given, saying that unreported crimes would distort that figure.
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