Burglaries skyrocket in County Galway
Members of the public will have to be the ‘eyes and ears’ of gardaí as burglaries skyrocket across the county.
Burglaries increased by a startling 51% in the first three months of 2022 – up from 47 to 71 on the same period last year, a meeting of the County Joint Policing Committee (JPC) heard this week.
The meeting was told that gardaí were being put ‘to the pin of their collar’ in their efforts to address increasing levels of property crime.
Cllr Mary Hoade (FF) said there had been a spate of burglaries in the Headford area and two particularly serious raids in Corrandulla.
“Since Covid has decreased and there are less people at home, we have seen a huge increase in the amount of rural burglaries,” said the Headford-based councillor.
“There is a huge role here for community alert schemes and it is important that the community is the eyes and ears, reporting suspicious activity to gardaí,” continued Cllr Hoade.
Cllr Andrew Reddington (FG) complimented Galway Gardaí’s Crime Prevention Officer, Sergeant Mick Walsh, for hosting a meeting in Headford which he said provided reassurance to many.
“We know the huge amount of work gardaí do . . . we have to help out gardaí who are being put to the pin of their collar,” he said.
Cllr Peter Roche (FG) said it was his opinion that many of the burglaries were associated with drug-use.
“It’s what’s making people [break into properties] where the problem lies. A lot of it is drug-related activity in my opinion. They need to obtain funds to feed that habit. It’s ridiculous to think that having gardaí on the street will stop that happening.
“Not for one minute do I believe it is possible to have a policing method to ensure that there are no rural break-ins or theft of property,” said Cllr Roche.
This is a shortened preview version of this article. To read the rest of the story, see the May 13 edition of the Connacht Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.