Crime surges in Clare as society reopens post-pandemic

THE reopening of society has contributed to a surge in reported crime in Clare, the joint policing committee heard this week.

Among the headline figures were a 90% increase in burglaries; a 105% increase in thefts from shops; a 59% increase in detections of drink/drug driving and a 34% increase in domestic disputes.

At this week’s meeting of the Clare Joint Policing Committee, Chief Superintendent Sean Colleran said that there have been dramatic increases in some categories of crime in the early part of 2022 compared to 2021.

He added however that that was down to the relaxation of Covid restrictions, and the figures are not significantly worse than pre-pandemic.

Clare’s most senior garda gave a presentation to the meeting which showed that in the January to April period of last year Clare had just 29 burglaries, but the figure was 55 for the same period of 2022, a rise of 90%.

Thefts from shops increased from 55 in the first four months of last year to 113 in the equivalent period of this year, up by 105%.

On the positive side, the number of thefts from vehicles fell sharply, from 86 last year to 29 this year.

Drug offences were also down, with possession for sale or supply dropping from 30 instances in the first four months of last year to 15 in 2022, and instances of simple possession falling from 61 to 53.

The chief superintendent said that while some of the numbers of offenses may seem high, they are actually “quite low compared to pre-Covid”.

He said that in 2020 and 2021 the number of offences being recorded were among the lowest seen in the division.

While the number of thefts from vehicles fell, he said this was partly due to there having been an issue with catalytic converters in the early months of 2020.

Preventative measures people have taken such as always locking doors and parking in well lit areas, has also been a factor.

Regarding the possession of drugs for sale or supply offences, he said, “Fifteen doesn’t seem that significant but the majority of those are the result of serious investigations.”

The number of cases of people being found to have driven while under the influence of drink or drugs increased from 31 in the first four months of last year to 49 in the first four months of 2022.

“The reality is that people are taking more chances and risks,” said Chief Superintendent Colleran. He also said that the number of people driving while under the influence of drugs is continuing to rise.

His presentation showed that public order offences increased by 9%, largely due to the resumption of the night time economy.

The number of assaults causing harm increased very slightly, while the number of minor assaults dipped marginally.

Instances of domestic disputes increased by 34% in the first four months of the year, while breaches of barring/safety/protection orders dropped by 24%.

There were fewer than 10 rapes and sexual assaults reported in the opening months of 2021 compared to 13 in the equivalent period of 2022.

However Chief Superintendent Colleran said that this doesn’t reflect an increase in offences committed as much as a greater willingness to report it.

“Very often people in the past didn’t want to come forward,” he said.

Chief Superintendent Sean Colleran added that some of the 13 were related to historical offences and in some cases people were more comfortable coming forward than would have been the case.

His presentation also showed that fraud/economic offences dropped from 102 last year to 83 in January-April 2022.

“In the last 12 months there has been a greater awareness about giving out bank details on phone calls,” Chief Superintendent Sean Colleran observed.