The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
POLICING COMMITTEE REPORTS SHARP RISE IN CRIME
JPC MEETING HEARS DETAILS OF MASSIVE INCREASE IN BURGLARIES, THEFT & DRUG POSSESSION IN PARTICULAR
STATISTICS presented at the Kerry Joint Policing Committee (JPC) meeting in Killorglin in recent days showed a sharp increase in crime in Kerry in 2017, with a massive increase in burglaries, thefts,and drug possession, compared to 2016.
Chief-superintendent Tom Myers described 2017 as a challenging, busy year across the county – and at the outset of last Friday’s meeting, he told everyone at the CYMS hall that he expects the same in 2018.
The number of people found in possession of drugs for personal use was up 42 per cent to 470. With 113 detections in 2017, there was an increase of over 60 per cent in the number of arrests in relation to possession of drugs for sale or supply – statistics Chief-superintendent Myers described as “very encouraging”.
“There are two ways of looking at it,” he said. “There are more drugs available, perhaps, or this is an example of proactive policing. Our drugs squad have been active throughout the county … We have everything from heroin to cannabis to ecstasy tablets, you name it.”
“From a management point of view, those 113 found in possession for sale are primarily our target, because drugs are a scourge on our community. These 113 detections didn’t come easy: they took a lot of intelligence, surveillance, and co-operation with agencies in and out of Kerry… As I say, there are two ways of looking at it, but from our point of view, it’s very encouraging.”
Chief-superintendent Myers also cited proactive policing in the rise in the number of public order offences recorded (804, up six-and-a-half per cent), with a small decrease recorded in terms of drunkenness.
Across the board, there were increases in terms of crimes against the person (551 to 623); property crime (1,047 to 1,222); and criminal damage and public order (1,643 to 1,679).
The 2017 statistics revealed an 18.5 per cent rise in the number of burglaries, and the Chief-superintendent explained that while most were committed by people from within the county, Kerry was hit on several occasions by “travelling criminals, particularly from the Dublin area, and Cork as well”.
“We had a number of significant detections, and in the last quarter we had reversed the trend of burglaries, with a reduction of 24 per cent [on 2016],” he said. “Our winter phase of Operation Thor has proved successful, and that winter phase will continue until May, with a focus on burglary… Compared to the number of burglaries in 2015, we’re down from 382, so we’re still in a good place, and it remains a priority for us in Kerry.”
“We are working very closely with units throughout the country, because the burglars that could be in Galway, Clare or Westmeath could be in Kerry within a few hours,” he added. “We encourage people to report if they see anything suspicious – and we saw it in Kilcummin earlier in the year when a report led to the arrest of four people.”