Everyone in Kerry should log what they own

THE sale of stolen goods was among the most intensly discussed matters at the recent JPC meeting in Killorglin and Sergeant Jim Foley emphasised that all people in Kerry can help break the chain of bogus traders operating in the county.

Fine Gael Councillor Patrick O’Connor-Scarteen raised the issue on the day, explaining that attendees at a public meeting in Beaufort in recent weeks told him of their concern at tools being sold at various events around the county.

“Some tools are legitimately sold, but there’s an element at some events of stolen goods being sold”, he said. “I’d like to see the Gardaí conducting some kind of campaign... If there could be some kind of signage at these events, I think it would deter people from purchasing these goods.”

Sergeant Foley and Muintir na Tíre’s Diarmuid Cronin went on to speak at length about such issues, with Sergeant Foley explaining that every member of the community can contribute to crime prevention. He also referred to concerns over so-called bogus traders in festivals across Kerry, including Puck Fair.

“We have issues in Kerry of people coming in here, whether as bogus traders, or scouting houses or estates,” he said. “I spoke recently to the Chair of the Puck Fair Committee specifically in respect of power tools. There are a number of families who come to Puck and they spend between €3,000 and €5,000 to rent stalls in this area.

“Eight or nine years ago, we took tools from these families, and we could not identify any one of them. But who is buying from these people?

“If you don’t know where your tools come from, you are part of the problem... It’s the same people buying all the time. It’s very easy to give out about burglaries, but there’s a chain to be broken. If there was never another chainsaw sold on the black market, there wouldn’t be another chainsaw stolen, because without the market, they won’t be taken.”

Diarmuid Cronin later went on to speak of the problems that can arise in tracing where stolen goods come from once they are seized.

“The biggest disappointment in my lifetime is the exchequer benefit to the tune of €10 million to €20 million annually from sales of stolen property seized by Gardaí. Simple housekeeping activities by ordinary people could tackle this,” he said. “I want to encourage everyone in Kerry to keep a log of what they own, including the make, model and serial number ... The 66 or so community alerts in the county are only a tiny fraction of community organisations in the county, and I look forward to working with all these groups, and the JPC, in promoting this and tackling the issue.”

A sample set of Muintir na Tíre log-books was shared out between those attending the meeting, and the JPC sub-committee is currently investigating the possibility of incentivising the dispersal of such log books around the county.