No surge in burglaries and thefts in Gort

SOUTH Galway has not experienced the recent increase in burglaries and thefts discussed at a recent public meeting held in Loughrea, according to gardaí in the area.

More than 100 people attended the meeting at the Loughrea Spa Hotel, organised by Fianna Fáil’s spokesperson on justice, Deputy Niall Collins.

Speaking afterwards, Deputy Collins said, “People attended this meeting from areas across East Galway and Roscommon to voice their growing concerns about the increase in crime against householders and members of the public right across this region. We heard story after story about homes in Galway and Roscommon being targeted by criminals and burglars breaking into houses or simply walking through the front door to take what they want.

“It’s an extremely traumatic experience for anyone to have their homes raided by criminals. The violation of privacy alone is very upsetting. At the meeting, people expressed their serious concerns about the cutbacks to local garda resources, the threat of more garda station closures and downgrades and the fall in garda numbers locally, at a time when crime is on the increase in Galway.

“I strongly believe that now is not the time to scale back on community garda resources. People here are feeling more vulnerable in their homes than ever and a strong garda presence in the community is essential for deterring criminals and easing the fears of local homeowners. The gardaí in Galway are working hard to protect communities from this crime increase but the bottom line is that their resources are being scaled back due to decisions made in Dublin by the Minister for Justice Alan Shatter. I will be working at national level to oppose Minister Shatter’s attempts to close garda stations in Galway at a time of escalating crime.”

However, gardaí in Gort say the area has not experienced any “surge” in this type of crime.

“We didn’t have any surge here but we would still remind people to take certain steps to help deter burglaries, particularly in relation to home heating oil. People should secure their heating oil by installing lights or a lock or whatever to make it as hard as possible to get at it. We would also warn people not to keep valuables at home, like cash or jewellery and to report any unusual activity in their area,” a senior garda stated.