Farmers ‘to take law into own hands’ in crime fight

FARMERS fear they may have to take the law into their own hands if gardai don’t step up their efforts to tackle violent crime.

Locals in North Dublin have reported an increase in trespassing and threatening behaviour in recent years with several landowners assaulted.

At a public meeting held last week in Swords, the community demanded a stronger response to the crime wave.

Laurence Ward told Miriam O’callaghan on the Sean O’rourke Show on RTE Radio One farmers may have to tackle the problem themselves

He said: “I hope it doesn’t have to go that far but yes, it could happen.

“Last month, I had seven on my land with dogs.

“They worried sheep, they threatened to shoot me, they threatened to have me killed if I called the guards.”

Richard Kennedy, of the Irish Farmers’ Association, called for a designated Garda task force to tackle the problem.

He told O’callaghan: “The visibility of the gardai has completely disappeared in recent years. We expect with the increase in numbers of gardai that will be rectified.”

At a meeting last week, gardai assured locals they would be taking measures to make the area safer.

Mr Kennedy welcomed the pledge and added: “If it gets any worse, people will lose their lives over this.”