The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Crime figures show fewer burglaries but more serious assaults in Kerry
BETTER information-sharing between Garda divisions and the targeting of travelling criminal gangs in conjunction with national Garda units has helped bring about a decrease in burglaries in Kerry, according to Garda Chief Superintendent Tom Myers.
The figures provided at a meeting of the Joint Policing Committee on Friday show an 11% decrease in burglaries from January to March 2018, in comparison to the same period last year. In the three months of of 2017, 74 burglaries were recorded in Kerry, compared to 66 this year.
The figures for aggravated burglary were less than 10 for the first three months of both years, according to the statistics, which no longer record specific figures for less than 10 incidents. Chief Supet Myers filled the information gap, telling the meeting that only one aggravated burglary has taken place this year.
He said that there is never an acceptable level of crime but, in relation to burglaries, there is positive news.
“The trend is good but we won’t take the foot off the gas,” he said, adding that Gardai in Kerry also have a very good detection rate of 36 per cent in burglary investigations.
The meeting also heard that fingerprints and DNA samples relating to a number of burglaries in Kerry are currently with Garda HQ and the forensic results will help solve more crimes.
However, while the news on burglaries was good, the Joint Policing Committee meeting heard that there was a 26 per cent increase in the number of assaults in Kerry. The most recent Garda statistics show an increase in incidents of assault causing harm were up from 27 in the first quarter of 2017 to 34 in the same period this year. Over the same time period there was a two per cent increase in minor assaults.
Chief Superintendent Myers said that this was a ‘significant’ increase and many of the serious assaults resulted in the victims needing hospital treatment.
Criminal damage incidents also showed a large increase from 2017 when 46 incidents were recorded. This year there was 75, an increase of 63 per cent.
The meeting was told that the number of drugs offences remained relatively static, with a small decrease in the number of cases of possession of drugs for personal use and a small increase in cases involving having drugs for sale or supply.
Chief Supt Myers said the figures in relation to drugs were ‘encouraging’ and the gardaí would continue to focus on catching drug dealers. The meeting heard that cannabis and cocaine are the most popular drugs in Kerry.
Thefts from shops also showed a decrease, down 22per cent, from 117 recorded incidents in the first quarter of 2017 to 91 in 2018. However, the theft of property – which generally refers to the theft of items like mobile phones and tools – saw an increase of 66 per cent, from 41 incidents to 68.
Chief Supt Myers said the return of the economic boom has led to an increase in the theft of tools and he urged people to mark their property help gardaí identify recovered goods and reunite them with their owners.
In a worrying trend, the theft of vehicles has increased substantially in Kerry – up from six thefts in the first quarter of 2017 to 14 in the first quarter of 2018 which is a 133 per cent increase. The thefts mostly involved old cars that can be hot-wired and are abandoned later. “We are watching this closely,” said Supt Myers.
There has also been an increase in thefts from cars and this could rise further over the tourist season. Gardai in Kerry will once again be focusing on theft hotspots such as popular beaches like Rossbeigh and Inch and key tourist locations such as Killarney National Park.