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NEW GARDA COMMISSIONER Noirín O’Sullivan has welcomed new crime stats which show reductions in a number of areas but warned that road deaths remain too high.
The CSO figures for the final quarter of last year showed that crime fell in 12 of the 14 areas measured including sexual offences, drugs offences, robbery as well as weapons offences.
The biggest increase was in the area of kidnapping which recorded an 18 per cent jump on the same period in 2012.
There were 80 homicide offences in the three month period at the end of last year, one more than the year previous, something the commissioner says is due to more people being killed on the roads.
“It is critical that An Garda Síochána, the RSA, statutory and voluntary bodies, and the public continue to work together to make our roads safer, ” O’Sullivan said in a statement.
(Source: Central Statistics Office)
But O’Sullivan did point to one aspect of the stats which she argues shows that people are becoming less likely to break road laws:
It is heartening to see that our on-going road safety messages and enforcement measures have helped lead to a reduction in the number of people driving dangerously over the limit, which is reflected in the decrease of 15.5 per cent in the Dangerous and Negligent Acts category.
The commissioner also promised that the force would continue to not only target criminals, but to engage in crime prevention methods to help people avoid being victims of crime.
But Fianna Fáil has said that far from demonstrating successful policing practices, the crime figures demonstrate how cuts are effecting garda stations.
Justice spokesperson Niall Collins TD says that gardaí are not getting the level of support they need from the Government:
It was the wrong decision to shut 140 community garda stations. It was also the wrong decision to inexplicably delay the recommencement of garda recruitment. The minister has undermined the work of community gardaí at every turn and has refused to provide the support and resources that they need.
Read: New crime figures show fall in sexual offences and burglaries >
Read: New crime figures show burglaries on the rise >
*dogs barking like mad*. Owner: “sure they’re grand, they wouldn’t hurt a fly”. A message to every dog owner out there: you are part of their pack but your visitors are not.
Article does not make us aware of circumstances, who owned them, where did they live,where was attack, therefore cannot make sweeping behavoir assumptions. RIP to the women.
@Barney r: the dogs killing the woman speaks for itself. She was a visitor to the family. The dogs killed her. They are reported as bullmastiffs. If that is the case, she had no chance once attacked.
@Barney r: woman*
@Awkward Seal: CORRECTION FOR U, I own 2 boxer dogs, I am not part of there pack, I am the pack leader, there’s a huge difference
@Hugo Bugo: is not the leader of the pack a member of the pack, top dog as it were.
@Awkward Seal: I have one here, if you’re unlucky, she’ll lick you to death and lucky,she’ll want you to pet her. I’d like to know, what kind of owners she had and how they trained the dogs( To be aggressive or otherwise). It is a very tragic incident, rare too and most bites are from tiny dogs. Lets wait, to find out the details and not have a knee jerk re-action.
My point is that you can’t assume they’ll behave around others the way they behave around you. You are part of their pack and should be top dog. It’s your responsibility to ensure the safety of other people who are around your dogs and not to take any chances if you’re unsure.
What a horrible death. I can’t walk or run in the same side of the street as bull breeds no matter how much the owners say they’re “harmless”. Too many times they’ve snapped as I’ve gone by.
@Darren Bates:
ahhh sure it’s harmless.
Jaysus, it doesn’t usually bite like that. You must have spooked it.
Vicious breeds of dogs are attractive to vicious owners.
@Darren Bates: it is best not to run past any dog big or small. It alerts them and triggers their protection/fight instinct. Switch to walking pace until past the dog whether they are on lead or not and make life easier for runner and dog walker both.
@Sandra Duffy: I don’t see why dog owners can’t ensure that the dogs are trained not to bite or snap.
Why should a runner have to interrupt his or her run out of deference to a dog?
And then you have the owners who allow their dogs to attack cyclists and small children.
@Sandra Duffy: B0ll0x, dogs need to be under control if out in public areas. Owners responsibilty, end of story. The owners of these dogs in the article should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, if it is proven to be that they were at fault.
@Sandra Duffy: Put a muzzle on him or leave him at home.
@Sandra Duffy: how about a requirement to muzzle all dogs when out in public and for that matter jail all owners who allow their dogs to shyte in public areas without cleaning up the vile mess.
@Darren Bates: maybe they’re mist
@Darren Bates: maybe they’re mistaken your legs for chicken legs
@Tony Daly: also one of the breeds of choice of drug dealers.
@Tom Molloy: indeed so.
@Tony Daly: simple rules for keeping dogs :
1- keep your dog under control walk on a lead
Short lead .
No children nor humans should go near it .
Control your dog warn the person sorry my dog is not used to children persons etc.
No mater how calm your dog is the person is not his person.
Keep your dog in a lead by your body side .
Simple as
I have 8 dogs I walk in the Phoenix park .
How ?
ONE at the time .
They need only a run and do their thing and they tell you when go back to the car.
Dogs in car proper crates and or a safety strap to the seat of one or two. If they used to car drive.
Dogs at home : within your property boundaries .
The rest and people and what have you is up to you but that will keep your dog safe and you without any troubles . End of.
@Permo Dermo: muzzle all dogs no .
Control your dog keep him on a lead all times carry your bag and pick up after your dog . Simple as that is stupid people that is the problem they should not have dogs .
So the dogs were put down – as if they suddenly became dangerous. You’d have to wonder at the kind of person who keeps these dogs.
My sympathy is with the poor woman who lost her life in such a terrible way.
@Martin Byrne: Apparently a neighbour rightly shot them.
@Martin Byrne: a neighbour had to shoot the 2 dogs to allow the paramedics into the yard. “Were put down” makes it sound a little too organised!
@Damien O’Cáthail: Christ – the mind boggles.
The owner should be put down as well
@Seamus Begley: I’d say the owner is suffering enough, would rather be dead, I know I would
@Lucille Ball: the owner had 2 dogs of extremely vicious temperament and allowed a situation in which the owners dogs killed a visitor. The situation was so extreme that a responsible neighbour had to rush in and shoot the dogs.
Some breeds of dogs are intrinsically dangerous. I would not allow a bullmastiff near a non member of the household.
@Seamus Begley: That didn’t take long. There’s always one.
@Tony Daly:apparently they were locked up in a shed but they escaped.
@Suzie Sunshine: that is no excuse. Killer dogs should have been on long chains and comfortable collars and then a pen around the shed.
Dogs can very easily escape sheds.
@Tony Daly: very true too
@Tony Daly: agreed Tony
@Ger Healy: always one what?
@Tony Daly: The postman was lucky???
@Lucille Ball: don’t mind them. The dogs should been in a secure compound area while visitors are there and they not need be vicious . Just startled a bull terrier has a lot of strength . I have slept under one as a visitor . She likes me and we get along well so she sleeps on across me and the only problem we weight the same so I can’t go to the loo.
People need know how to and understand dog behaviour . I seldom met any dog I cannot communicate with . Even highly trained ones .
How long until the ‘There are no bad dogs, just bad owners’ brigade get here.
@Tommy Roche: In general it is the owner who is responsible, these dogs should have been secured when owners were not at home , if you want security use an alarm not a dog
@Tommy Roche: I was one of them but not now, … owners can’t be blamed for every thing an animal does…
@Lucille yes they can. You chose to own a specific breed with its own inherent traits. Do no training and encourage bad traits in breed and the dog reverts back to its natural wild behavour.
@Lucille Ball: vicious breeds of dig, inbred to achieve viciousness if powerful enoiugh can kill human beings.
Such vicious breeds of dog serve no valid purpose and are often a demonstration of the vicious traits of the owners.
@Lucille Ball: owners must be blamed for the behaviour of heir dogs
Owners can. The neighbourhood dogs where I live, spaniels and terriers. They can enter my property but my gates are closed. As individuals or as a group they will bark running along the boundary at people passing, and if so inclined will follow the people through each garden. I know these dogs and obviously they know me, so they only approach me in happiness. But if I was on the other side of the wall when they’re in a group, I don’t care that they’re not considered one of the ‘vicious’ breeds, I’d be concerned, and rightly so. Any dog, and this is advice from a dog trainer, any dog can bite. A sustained attack can kill anyone. Large dogs can injure more quickly, but an aggressive dog, no matter the size, is dangerous. These owners let their dogs roam without caring once off their property I can call the dog warden.
@Lucille Ball: A bullmastif is one dangerous dog to let loose near people .This owner should be barred from having a dog ever again
@Tommy Roche: Some breeds of dog are extremely wicket and were bred that way.
The owner of the dog should be prosecuted for reckless endangerment of human life.
What an appalling death. We can only hope that shock set in very quickly.
The jaws of some breeds of dogs are incredibly strong and their bites are more likely to be fatal by severing blood vessels. Also some breeds are so vicious that they cannot be dislodged from an attack.
Owners can exacerbate the vicious tendencies of dogs by not ensuring that the more vicious breeeds are properly socialised from early age and ensuring that the dogs are not allowed to be excessively territorial.
The reality is that some breeds of dog have an innate propensity to attack because of territoriality, fear and inbred viciousness, in which vicious traits have been inbred over time.
If Bullmastiffs were involved in this attack, it was irresponsible of the owners to allow the dogs out. Once they attacked the woman’s life was over. They are relentless and savage.
@tony Daly,Mind you don’t fall off your pulpit there tony
@Teddy: I should make allowances for the sensitivity of dog owners who lack detachment but human life is more valuable than the sensitivities of dog owners.
Possessing dangerous dog breeds and creating a situation in which a human being is killed is indefensible.
The owner or owners should be prosecuted.
@Tony Daly: There you said it Tony. Like many others I am horrified at what happened to this woman. And I am utterly appalled at many dog lovers who defend these awful dangerous creatures.
@tony Daly,Having read some of your posts regarding the terrorist attacks I think you are the one who lacks detachment,hypocrite much.
@Teddy: I don’t believe that giving in to fear and hate will solve terrorism. I don’t see how you can validly equate terrorism and vicious dog breeds.
As for dogs, the subject matter of the article under comment, there is no valid purpose in owning digs which have an inherent propensity to vicious lethality.
A woman in her 60s was viciously and horrendously killed by lethal dogs. All of us should condemn that.
@Tony Daly: Tony, is there no subject you won’t foist your opinion on?
It’s a Bank Holiday, do yourself a favour, take a day off.
@Ger Healy: I give you the day of instead.
We would lose nothing from your lack of contribution which never addresses the subject matter of the articles.
You have your favourite targets. You have a track record of attacking the persons making the comments but never address the substance of the articles.
@Tony Daly: Actually Tony, you would know this because your attachment to the Journal is a bit over the top to say the least. I have track record? maybe, but none like yours. I do have opinions on all of the items published on Journal but sometimes I believe my opinion is not relevant enough, not important enough and not informed enough to foist on readers here. Unlike you. There are many items on here I agree with you on but a thumbs up will suffice.
And by the way ” a lack of contribution” can be a good thing. You should try it. Not everyone wants to hear your opinions on ” substantive issues”
Get out for a walk and get some fresh air Tony, it’s far better than having your head stuck in a screen all day and night.
Shock horror, Ger, Tony giving his opinion in the comments section of the Journal
@Ger Healy: I take rests when walking and post in the open air using the wonders of 4G.
You can never completely trust a dog . I know of a family pet who attacked a young child and did a lot of damage to her face and she had to undergo a series of operations over time to try and minimise the damage.
@Aine O Connor: that is a sensible statement.
@aine o Connor,pat on the head and a treat for you, from Tony Daly.
@Teddy: you firgetbthat humans and dogs are different.
@Teddy: lol !
@tony Daly,whats a “firgetbthat”.lol,you’re worse than Trump with his confeve,
@Teddy: I will explain it to you as “you forget that” most peole with reasonable cognition could work that out.
@Aine O Connor: agree 100%
It is reported that the dogs involved were bullmastiffs.
One of the purposes for which this vicious breed of dog was developed by large estate owners was to savage poachers.
It is irresponsible and unnecessary to own such a vicious breed of dog. They are inbred to be killers. Sometimes they will do what they are bred to do.
@Tony Daly: if you’re going to research something at least do it properly…they were bred to knock and hold poachers not savage them…that said absolutely shocking thing to happen…
Most dog owners do control their dogs in fairness but you should need to pass a course to qualify for a licence for certain breeds. I find a lot of my friends as they get older becoming obsessed with their dogs. Many say only a dog will love you unconditionally. What makes people they are entitled to unconditional love is another question of course. I like dogs but not enough to own one.
@Simeon: I like dogs but I like humans far more.
What an awful tragedy, poor woman, these breeds have no place among people, at the end of the day ur docile family pet is an animal with animal instincts, YouTube full a pics of pitbulls lying beside babies, who in their right mind wud do that, a neighbor of mine in her 70s walked by the same dog every day for year then one day he just took a piece out of her leg and he ate it, whst made him do it?? , u can train them but u cant tame them, RIP
@JustMade Ireland:
We are talking ‘fatal attacks here’…. pitbulls make up 6.6% of dog population in US yet we’re responsible for 82% ….yes 82% of all dog attack fatalities.
Let’s not cherry pick the evidence please
http://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics-fatalities-2015.php
I’d say the scene was horre
@Jamie: I’d say the scene was horrendous the damage those dogs can do
The probably with these dogs is their strength and most look vicious which makes people panic and fear more.
@JustMade Ireland: Where as other dogs crab you can push off easier. With the strength of these and with you panicing leads to more stories like this.
@JustMade Ireland: Stories tell well do you.
@JustMade Ireland: it is not about panic. When bullmastiffs attack, they don’t relent. Their killing instinct is very deeply inbred into them. The poor woman had no chance. The dogs attack based on a keenly developed sense of territoriality.
Bad breeding and bad ownership are the causes of fatal dog attacks.
@Dan Murphy:
Again 82% of all fatalities from dog attacks in US were carried out by pitbulls in 2015 yet they only make up 6.6% of dog population. The evidence says you are incorrect. There is an inherent issue these breeds and they should be banned outright.
This breed of dog is a proven killer and should be treated like all dangerous animals, as in Lions, Tigers, Panthers etc. They are not a Domestic animal and they should be totally banned.
Shocking tragedy and my thoughts for the woman’s family.
Panther isn’t even a species of cat….
@Susan Hempenstall: Panthers being Leopards and Jaguars are dangerous animals, so what’s your point. It is a serious subject and not for silly comments.
By definition they are a domestic animal and comparing them to big cats is a bit dramatic. Most dogs will attack those who enter their territory some breeds can just do more damage. It’s a sad series of events but you should never ever enter a back garden with dogs as a stranger.
Too many people buy certain dog breeds solely because they are vicious and dangerous. The arguments against banning them altogether are too similar to those against banning recreational firearms. They should be illegal.
@Kieran Magennis: the dogs are not vicious of raised right, same as people. If they are trained , disciplined and socialised from a young age they don’t have bad behavioural traits.
I read elsewhere that the owner of the dogs shot them himself. The dogs are a dangerous breed therefore they should have been contained accordingly. In a dog run or on a chain to a secure post. A terrible trade for this woman and her family.
@Liam Whelan: is it ever possible to be safe enough with killer dogs?
@Liam Whelan: I heard that it was a neighbour but I can see how an owner of such vicious dogs might also be inclined to be a gun owner.
@Liam Whelan: I’m not disagreeing with you but when that’s the kind of life the dog will have then questions need to be asked as to why anyone would want their dog to live like that. I’d rather not have the dog.
@Pablo: that’s a very good question.
Bad breeding and bad ownership are the causes of dog attacks.
@Dan Murphy: often bad owners are attracted to bad breeds of dog and intentionally increase their viciousness.
@Tony Daly: your comments are so unfounded . It’s all about vicious dogs,vicious dogs! Dangerous people are attracted to dangerous dogs. What kind of stupid statement is that!! If you go and get a twelve week old puppy, any breed, that puppy does not know violence or viciousness until it’s beaten into it.
It’s awful what happened to that Woman and her family but you cannot say that the dogs are vicious from the outset. That is something they are subjected to from an early age.
You can teach a dog to sit, stay or play fetch or you can teach it to bite and tear things apart. That’s on the owner!! They should be held responsible.
Open your mind and educate yourself.
I’d say the owners were stereotypical losers trying to be tough by having intimidating dogs. Any dog can be dangerous in the wrong hands. I believe while it’s terrible this woman died an investigation into the people who owned the dogs is warranted.
@Kyserkelly: exactly. Dogs are not breed specific and it’s scientifically proven dogs are products of their environment. So I’d bet my life the dogs were not controlled or trained.
Probably a staffie or pittbull,lovely dogs in the right hands.
People should have licences not dogs. If I see these dogs with a nice person I wouldnt be scared. If I see them with a certain type of person I am. It’s always the owners. Every dog is a good dog in the right hands. Unfortunately these poor dogs get in the wrong hands are trained to cause fear and aggression as a status symbol. It’s not fair on the dog.
In the U.K. You need a special licence to own these,as usual our country is years behind.
@Deirdre McDonnell: Breeds like that have a built in aggression, any breed that need “the right hands” to handle them is a problem. Breeds like this have no purpose in modern day society and should be banned. People say that most bits are from small dogs, that’s because the vast majority are small but that’s not the issue, it’s the amount of harm that these dangerous breeds can inflict.
I’d sooner be bitten by a jack russell than a mastiff or pit bull.
Another non regulated system in Ireland
It’s clear to all what are the dangerous breeds yet we see them daily unmuzzled and at times with kids under 16 and not on leads which is illegal if those dogs are in public areas
Codology and poppycock to the extreme
Muzzle EVERY dog in a public place. Review the Control of Dogs Act, Pee Flynn’s parting shot before he headed off to Brussels for a cushy overpaid Commissioner’s job, “saddle bags bulging” as Shane Ross said. At the time the Act was thought to be a rushed job according to vets and dog trainers and other professionals in that area. Maybe it’s time for a review. Also some anomalies like American Akita is in the list but Japanese Akita isn’t (or vice versa).
No dog can ever be fully trusted. I have a Saint Bernard. This is a breed that is commonly referred to as loving and gentle. Indeed, my dog is just that with me and my family, and those that she knows very well. However, she does not like strangers. She particularly does not like men.
I don’t feel that she would bite (she never has), but could I say with 100% certainty that she wouldn’t? No.
My dog is not one of the breeds commonly referred to as dangerous. In fact if you do a google search you will find dozens of articles about the St Bernard breed being docile. My dog is loved and has never been breed to be vicious.
You never know what a dog will do.
RIP this poor woman.
Is there a reason why your posting a picture of a boxer??? I doubt very much it was a boxer that did it. You can not just put up a random dog that is not known to attack anyone. Bad journalism.
@Deirdre McDonnell: It’s not a boxer it’s a bull mastiff, looks a little similar but about three times the size.
@Deirdre McDonnell: Its a bull mastiff in the picture.
I am astounded by some of the ignorant comments on this thread – imagine how the woman’s son feels after his dogs attacked his mother.No dog owner ever wants an incident like this – no one knows or will ever know what exactly happened its a massive tragedy and god help that family !
I cant understand why the local councils do not ban dog from our beeches around the country I walk dollymount beech every day winter and summer and have been attacked on a number of occasions by dogs running wild while there owners walk along with the dogs lead in there hands and even when they watch there dogs running at you they wont call them back I have been attacked by all different breeds of dogs on the beech our beeches are for everybody not just for dog owners
Irish law concerning dogs is ineffective and geared towards providing extra money for solicitors and barristers. Obviously,this case is extreme, but there are many thousands of dogs throughout the country causing incredible inconvenience, annoyance and disturbance for neighbours who have to either put up with their aggression or sell up and move elsewhere. The law isn’t enforced. It’s that simple. Having two ferocious animals in a house and having an unfortunate woman bitten to death is a criminal act. But, what will be the consequences ? The dogs have been put down. End of story. In other countries, such as the US and Australia, there are animal control bodies established which have the power to intervene, and remove problem dogs without all the legal mumbo jumbo that makes solicitors/barristers even richer in Ireland.
Absolutely horrific.
These dogs are bred to kill. Period.
Put these dogs together in a pack and animal instinct takes over.
People who say the dogs are gentle are deluded.
These dogs are often status symbols for people.
Absolutely horrific.
These dogs are bred to kill. Period.
They have a pack mentality.
Animal instinct kicks in and they will defend their territory.
These types of dogs are only used as status symbols.
have your say