The number of burglaries in the Louth Garda Division jumped 17% from 2007 to 2014, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The figures reveal there were 896 burglaries in the county in 2007, compared to 1,048 in 2014.
In comparison, burglaries in the Cavan/Monaghan Garda Division fell 21% in the same period while in Meath the burglary rate was up 10%.
The number of children removed from their homes in Louth under Section 12 of the Childcare Act fell by 26% last year.
Gardaí can remove a child from their parents/guardians if they believe there is an immediate danger to the child.
There were 53 such instances in the Louth Garda Division in 2013 but this fell to 39 last year, according to figures in the An Garda Siochána annual report.
There were also 401 people reported missing in Louth last year, all of which were traced.
There are currently 277 personnel in the Louth Garda Division.
That’s according to figures from the Garda Commissioner, as of April 30th 2015.
There are also 45 Garda Reserves and 22 civilians attached to the division.
There are also 16 Community Gardaí in the Louth Division, with six in Dundalk, five in Drogheda, three in Dunleer and one apiece in Clogherhead and Ardee.
The figures were requested by local TD Gerry Adams who has also requested the current budget for Gardaí in Dundalk and north Louth and how it compares each year since 2010.
Seamus Kirk TD
Garda numbers in Co Louth have fallen substantially in the last five years.
Local TD Seamus Kirk has learned that there are now 38 fewer Gardaí in the Louth Division since 2010, having put forward a parliamentary question on the matter to Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald.
While Dundalk Garda Station hasn’t suffered like elsewhere, many smaller areas throughout the county have.
Commenting on the figures, Deputy Kirk said: “The figures that I have obtained show that Garda resources have been slashed by Fine Gael and Labour since they came to office. There are now 38 fewer Gardai in the Louth Division compared to five years ago.
“Drogheda has seen the most dramatic reduction in numbers with 22 fewer Gardaí being attached to Drogheda Garda Station since 2010. The reduction in manpower has occurred across the county with Ardee, Castlebellingham, Collon, Blackrock, Dromad and Hackballscross all experiencing personnel cutbacks.
“There is a feeling in communities in Louth that crime rates are on the rise. People do not feel as safe as they used to in their own homes. This comes as no surprise considering the cutback in resourcing for the Gardaí that the Government has overseen since coming to office.
“The Government has been attempting to downplay the crime crisis by hiding behind official crime figures. However Fianna Fáil has spent the past three years saying that gaping holes in frontline policing are leading to a spike in crime levels. Every community that I visit identifies rising crime levels as a top concern. It is no coincidence that these feelings are expressed at a time when Garda numbers are falling.
“It is time for the Government to admit that rising crime levels is a serious problem in our communities. Action must be taken to reverse this trend. More resources are needed for our police force, and this includes restoring manpower to Garda stations. The only resourcing initiative that the Government has announced for policing is a small intake of student Gardaí for this year. However it has been highlighted by Garda management that this intake will barely even cover the number of people retiring from the force each year,” said Deputy Kirk.
Seamus Kirk TD
Local Fianna Fáil TD Seamus Kirk has called for extra Garda resources following increases in a number of serious crimes in the county.
The latest CSO crime figures reveal substantial rises in burglary-related offences in the first three months of the year.
Commenting on the matter, Deputy Kirk said: “A number of organisations have contacted me in recent weeks expressing concern about a spate of robberies in rural areas. The figures from the CSO appear to back up the belief that crime in the area is on the rise. Between January and March this year there were 75 assaults in the Louth Garda Division. There were also 287 burglaries and 478 theft offences committed during that time. All of these offences are significantly higher than for the same period in 2013.
“Many communities across the county are living in fear, particularly those living in isolated and rural areas. They have seen their local Gardaí deployed elsewhere and are concerned about crime sprees in their areas. People living alone are particularly anxious and are worried about being targeted by criminals.
“Garda resources in Louth have been severely depleted by this Government. Officers are going above and beyond the call of duty and carrying out their work in extremely constrained conditions. Technology, equipment and Garda vehicles are all in urgent need of upgrading. It is no coincidence that there has been an increase in crime at a time when the force is stretched to the limit. It is little wonder that Garda morale is on the floor, and it is an issue that needs to be addressed swiftly.
“We need to maintain a strong Garda presence in border areas, yet the Minister has not sanctioned any additional resources for the region. In fact, the recruitment of new Gardaí has been deferred once again. The Minister cannot afford to neglect falling Garda numbers any longer. It is imperative that we have a robust frontline force, which is visible and active in the community and I would urge her to address the resources and staffing issue without delay.”
Stations in Louth returned more tapes to Garda HQ than any other
The Louth Garda division returned more tapes than any other division in the country to Garda Headquarters when an inventory of all recordings was made in February.
According to The Irish Times, the head of telecommunications in Garda headquarters, Supt Michael Flynn, sent an inventory on February 19th last to the Garda executive director of Information and Communications Technologies, Liam Kidd, informing him of 2,485 recordings made outside of Dublin.
In total 356 came from the Louth division, which was more than Sligo-Leitrim (320) and Laois-Offaly (316) who were the next highest.
Supt Flynn said that these recordings were made on obsolete Dictaphone recorders and had been improperly stored randomly in cardboard boxes at each station. They all pre-dated 2008.
A number of tapes are believed to be damaged as a result of mould decaying the magnetic material, which has rendered some tapes unplayable.
Since 2008, recordings have been made on the NICE system, with Drogheda one of the locations where recordings were made since then.
You can read the full story here.
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