Drugpossessiononthe rise acrossthecounty
THE use of drugs is on the rise across the county according to new figures released by the Kerry Garda Division.
At last Friday’s meeting of the Kerry County Council Joint Policing Committee, Kerry Chief Superintendent Eileen Foster provided a breakdown of arrests and prosecutions across the county for the first nine months of the year.
The figures showed that there has been a significant rise in the number of people arrested in possession of drugs for their own personal use.
From January to the end of September, 484 people across the county were arrested for drug possession. That figure represents a 20 per cent increase on the same period last year.
In the same period this year 68 people were arrested for possession of drugs for sale and supply. That was also up on last year but by considerably less with an increase of three per cent.
Chief Supt Foster said the increase reflected the fact that the Divisional Drugs Unit has increased in size allowing more garda activity on drug crime.
“To be honest I would have been surprised and disappointed if the numbers weren’t up,” Chief Supt Foster said.
Cllr Mikey Sheehy (FF) took issue with Chief Supt Foster’s argument questioning why – if the increased size of the local drug unit was responsible for the jump in possession cases – there hadn’t been an equivalent increase in both the simple possession and dealing categories?
Chief Supt Foster said that in many of the simple possession cases the amount of drugs seized was below the threshold for a sale and supply charge.