CRIMINALS WILL ‘RUN YOU OVER’

GARDA WARNING OVER GANGS BREAKING IN TO HOMES

GARDAÍ have issued a stark warning to homeowners in Glenealy about a gang of volatile criminals.

During a public meeting Sgt Pat Carroll and Garda Darragh McEvoy said that the majority of a recent spate of robberies in the area had been carried out by gangs who travel around the country wreaking havoc.

Sgt Carroll said: They act as a team, hit somewhere like Glenealy, hit four or five places and then they are gone.’

Sgt Carroll also advised members of the public not to confront intruders.

‘You have to remember the safety of the other roads users on the road where these lunatics are driving. They are volatile and don’t care about themselves, so how could they care about me or you? If you are out walking at night and they are making a get-away, they won’t stop. They will just run you over. They don’t care.’

A TEXT alert scheme will be relaunched in Glenealy in response to rising number of house break-ins and robberies which have taken place recently in the village.

A well-attended public meeting was held in St Joseph’s NS last Wednesday night (October 16) and was addressed by Sgt Pat Carroll and Garda Darragh McEvoy.

Both gardaí advised the meeting that travelling gangs are responsible for most of the break-ins and that there is no set pattern to their activities.

‘They act as a team, hit somewhere like Glenealy, hit four or five places and then they are gone,’ said Sgt Carroll. ‘The next night they could be in Rathdrum or somewhere in Kildare. They are hitting places like Wicklow, Wexford and Waterford. They were chased in Cork around four weeks ago and they caught one of them. They are good at their craft, unfortunately. I would advise people to remain vigilant and to ring us and we will get there as quickly as we can. You are our eyes and ears.’

Sgt Carroll also advised members of the public not to confront intruders if they are disturbed.

‘You have to remember the safety of the other roads users on the road where these lunatics are driving. They are volatile and don’t care about themselves, so how could they care about me or you? If you are out walking at night and they are making a get-away, they won’t stop. They will just run you over. They don’t care. Don’t confront them. Otherwise they will beat you up or attack you. Burglars, as a rule, are not going out to hurt you, but if you corner them, they will go at you.’

Sgt Carroll further warned against using firearms to deter criminals.

‘You wouldn’t get the time to get to the rifle. There are more than likely two to three pieces around the home, then you have to go and find where the bullets are. By the time you do all of that, they are already long gone. Or, you could end up like that man in Mayo who shot his friend who was only checking up on him,’ he said.

Often the gangs target the same area and return a few weeks later but will move on elsewhere if they feel the area is too ‘hot’.

Garda McEvoy recommended members of the public contact Wicklow Garda Station if they notice any suspicious activity in their area.

‘If there is any car moving around and behaving in a suspect manner, then take the registration and ring it in to the gardaí. Don’t be thinking “I don’t want to be wasting the time of the gardaí”. If there is a car moving around in backroads or the like, and it doesn’t have any business being there, then ring us.’

The possibility that some of the gangs are also being fed local information cannot be ruled out, the gardaí told the meeting. They also asked people to leave crime scenes untouched so that gardaí can search for DNA and other evidence.

‘Try your best not to touch anything. I know the first instinct when someone comes home to see everything thrown all over the place is to clean up, but remember it’s a crime scene. The smallest thing could result in someone being apprehended,’ said Garda McEvoy.

Anyone who would like to sign up to the relaunched Glenealy Text Alert Scheme can do so from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. this evening (Wednesday, October 23) in Glenealy Hall. The cost will be 20 cent per phone number.

Forms will also be dropped into homes over the next couple of weeks.

DON’T BE THINKING ‘I DON’T WANT TO BE WASTING THE GARDAÍ’S TIME’. IF THERE’S A CAR MOVING AROUND IN BACKROADS AND IT DOESN’T HAVE ANY BUSINESS BEING THERE, THEN RING US