Concerns about rural crime have dominated a meeting of the County Galway Joint Policing Committee, with Garda response times and the use of fake vehicle registration plates by thieves the subject of extensive discussion.
The meeting heard how several communities in north Galway had been frustrated by difficulties they had in contacting local stations, in order to report burglaries.
Fine Gael Councillor Pete Roche detailed how he made several attempts to contact one garda station last week, as thieves were breaking into a house in his area.
While members of the community had done what they could to stop the burglars, he said no patrol car was dispatched to the scene and that people were frustrated by the lack of a timely response.
Cllr Roche expressed concern that the closure of garda stations in rural areas was having a knock on effect on community policing and giving criminal gangs the opportunity to ransack homes, leaving people "bereft and desperate".
This was leading to huge annoyance and increasing fear among residents.
His concerns were echoed by party colleague, Cllr Andrew Reddington, who said "good, decent people were being targeted", leading to a growing sense of unease and increasing the risk of people deciding to take matters into their own hands, to prevent thefts.
Call for better regulation of license plate sales
Clle Reddington also called for better regulation of the sale and manufacture of vehicle licence plates.
He said these could be purchased without any proof of registration or ownership, allowing thieves to disguise the origin of cars they were travelling in.
Chief Superintendent of the Galway Garda Division Gerard Roche said people should dial 999 in the first instance when they wanted to report a crime.
He said these calls were routed to a dedicated centre, staffed by more than 80 people, who were able to allocate resources and immediately identify where patrol cars were.
Superintendent Finbarr Philpott told the meeting that a review of response times would be carried out but he urged the public not to engage with criminals involved in carrying out such activities.
He said individuals pursuing thieves at breakneck speeds on country roads could not be encouraged or condoned.
The meeting was also given an overview of Garda activity in the division during 2023.
Chief Supt Roche said "proactive policing" had led to the seizure of drugs with an estimated value of almost €2 million across Co Galway last year.
He said cocaine accounted for more than 50% of those seizures with more than 300 drug related arrests made around the city and county.
Some 242 of these were for "simple possession" while 106 were for sale or supply, up from 47 arrests under the same heading in 2022.
The chief superintendent said work would continue to increase detection in 2024.
Some 2,294 traffic checkpoints resulted in 289 arrests for drink or drug driving; reported burglaries increased by 32% on the previous year, while there was a small drop in the number of assaults causing harm.
The meeting came ahead of a relaunch of the Neighbourhood Watch scheme in Galway city this week.
It is hoped the initiative will reinvigorate the effort to fight crime in residential areas, by equipping homeowners and tenants with simple and effective steps they can take to assist each other.
Community gardaí will join with residents’ associations and local organisations at tomorrow evening’s event to offer advice on how best to prevent burglaries and safeguard property.
Chairperson of the City Joint Policing Committee Cllr Niall McNeilis said that community-based policing was central to the ethos of An Garda Síochána.
He said he hoped the relaunch would help reduce the incidence of theft and antisocial behaviour in estates around Galway.
