Burglaries up by 60% in the Minister for Justice’s own home county

BURGLARIES in the Justice Minister’s home county have soared by almost 60% in the past year, shocking new crime figures reveal.

This is despite claims by Minister Charlie Flanagan, who is TD for Co. Laois, that criminals have ‘no place to hide’.

Rural areas were hardest hit by the increase in burglaries, Chief Superintendent John Scanlon told a Joint Policing Committee meeting last week.

Incredibly, one criminal gang, from Dublin, was responsible for 20 of the burglaries across the county in just one day.

The revelations come as

Rural areas are the worst hit by thieves

country dwellers were warned to be extra alert over the Christmas period.

And Chief Supt Scanlon added that the increase in rural crime is caused by repeat offenders who have been in prison but did not learn their lesson.

‘Some criminals are in prison for a time and when they get out some have not mended their ways and go back to robbing,’ he said.

Local Fine Gael councillor John King warned vulnerable families living in rural communities: ‘With Christmas coming there are going to be all sorts of people calling and people need to be vigilant. The two ways of solving crime is extra gardaí and CCTV. Isolation is also a big problem.’

Chief Supt Scanlon asked locals to be aware and take photos of suspicious vehicles, or note of the licence number.

‘Evidence is the only way we can operate and to gather evidence we need the assistance of communities,’ he said.

Meanwhile, as frustration grows at the growing burglary rate, more than 700 people gathered at public meetings in neighbouring Co. Offaly to show support for a local man whose farm was attacked two weeks ago. Farmer Richie McKelvey, 54, was beaten and robbed by a gang of four men on his farm near Birr.

It was the second time in six weeks he had been robbed, and he suffered facial injuries when he was beaten with a bar and locked in a shed.

Details of the huge rise in burglaries in the area were revealed to the policing committee meeting by Superintendent Anthony Pettit on November 13.

He also said that the number of such crimes was up from 67 to 106 between the third quarter of last year and the third quarter of this year.

Chief Supt John Scanlon said the greater number of these burglaries had happened in rural parts of the county. And to illustrate the point he added that burglaries in Portlaoise town have actually dropped

20 robberies by one gang in the one day

from 120 to 96 for the year.

Cllr King said the ‘main problem’ in Laois is the motorway which lets criminals ‘to and fro’ easily. He added: ‘Chief Supt Scanlon is living in the area and he indicated he wants a zero tolerance approach.’ A special Garda task force has now been set up to tackle crime in the Laois-Offaly area.

It will initially run for three weeks to conduct targeted operations, and a sergeant and eight gardaí have been assigned to a temporary divisional.

Minister Flanagan said: ‘Gardaí have the resources and the skills to prevent crime and to ensure offenders pay the price. There may be a perception that rural towns, villages and townlands are soft touches for thieves and burglars – that perception is wrong.

He was confident that the measures such as armed checkpoints would send a message to the crime gangs that Laois-Offaly is no safe harbour for them.