Tag Archives: crime

THOSE looking for love in Clare are being warned to be wary of online ‘romance scams’ which are reported to be on the rise. According to Clare’s Crime Prevention Officer, Sergeant Triona Brooks, “Use of the internet for dating purposes has increased and so unfortunately the number of scams associated with it and amounts of money lost.” She particularly warns against responding to requests for inappropriate photographs, saying they could be used for future blackmail attempts. And she has appealed to anybody who feels they have been a victim of an online scammer to contact gardai. Sergeant Brooks explains, “A romance scam is basically a scam employed by criminals which involves pretending to be romantically interested in a person with the objective of gaining their affection and trust with the perceived promise of a continued romantic involvement – the ultimate purpose of the scam is to encourage the victim to transfer funds to accounts in the control of the criminal …

Gardaí have arrested five men in their late teens and early 20s, in relation to a burglary at a phone shop on O’Connell Street, Ennis in the early hours of this morning (Monday). Shortly before 2.30am, Gardaí in Ennis received a report of a burglary that had just occurred in which a grey car was seen leaving the area. Gardaí located the suspect car and carried out a managed pursuit. The car was abandoned on Ballyalla Grove and the occupants fled in different directions. One man was arrested by Gardaí and is currently detained at Ennis Garda Station. A search of the car was carried out and Gardaí recovered a large quantity of mobile phones that had been stolen. Gardaí put a cordon in place in the surrounding areas and a car was stopped on the Gort Road at around 5.30am. Three men who were in the car, were arrested and brought to Ennis and Shannon Garda Stations. At around …

GARDAÍ have arrested two men in their 20s in relation to two burglaries in the Drumgeely area of Shannon, Co Clare on Saturday, November 9. Shortly before 9pm, Gardaí from Shannon Garda Station received a report of two burglaries that occurred at shops in the Drumgeely area that had recently occurred. Gardaí attended the scene and carried out a patrol of the area. As a result, two men were arrested and brought to Shannon Garda Station where they are currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.

In his first local media interview, Chief Superintendent Seán Colleran, detailed his aspirations for policing in County Clare, how he will be keeping up the fight for resources and he will be taking a hard line on economic fraud. By Carol Byrne CLARE’S Chief Superintendent Seán Colleran has said while he would like to see the Clare Garda Division keep its individual division status, he said the public shouldn’t fear changes proposed under the Future of Policing Plan. Amid local concerns that the Clare Garda Division may be amalgamated with either Tipperary or Galway, the new Clare garda chief says any changes that are made are “designed to improve the service”. Unfortunately if that does happen it may mean that Clare could lose its chief superintendent. The Ballinasloe native says whatever happens there will “certainly be no reduction in services” for Clare. The Future of Policing Plan has made recommendations and Chief Superintendent Colleran acknowledged that these seek to restructure …

BELLHARBOUR’S John Kerin, Clare’s Chief Superintendent, is calling time on a 41-year career with the gardaí. It has been a distinguished one, which has seen him to the forefront of some of Ireland’s most high profile investigations. In his earlier days on the force, Chief Supt Kerin was one of the first garda responders to one of the country’s worst rail disasters, the Buttevant train crash of August 1, 1980, which saw 19 people lose their lives and up to 80 seriously injured. June 7, 1996 was a day that will be forever remembered as one of the darkest days in the history of the force, as it was the day Detective Garda Jerry McCabe died and his partner, Detective Garda Ben O’Sullivan, was shot in Adare. For Chief Superintendent Kerin, it is a day he will never forget, as it was the day he first took up duty as detective inspector and it was to be his first call …

GARDAÍ in Clare and Limerick have seized cocaine and cannabis with an estimated street value of €97,000 following a joint operation on Wednesday evening and two arrests have been made. Gardaí stopped a vehicle at Junction 11 (Dromoland) on the M18 motorway shortly after 7pm on Wednesday and a subsequent search resulted in the seizure of cocaine with a value of €56,000 (subject to analysis). A 41 year old man was arrested and is currently being detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996 at Ennis Garda Station. He was detained for an initial six hour period, which has now been extended to 18 hours. Under this legislation and with approval from the Chief Superintendent and the courts he can be detained for up to seven days. Superintendent Brendan McDonagh, of Ennis Garda Station described this seizure as “significant” as it has taken these drugs which were destined for the Clare market off the streets for …

THE Ennis home of Clare County Dog Warden Frankie Coote came under attack on Wednesday night. Windows of his house were smashed by men wielding hatchets, while his van and his wife’s car were also attacked. Speaking on Thursday Mr Coote said, “It was exactly nine o’clock, I was just going watching the news, and the window of the house came in. I thought it was shotguns, I heard bang, bang, bang, but it was two people attacking the van and the wife’s car with hatchets. There was awful damage done.” He said that confrontation has been a frequent reality of his job, but it is very upsetting having it come to his home. “It was worse for my wife than myself. I’ve been assaulted, different things have happened me to do with my job, but nothing at the house.” Mr Coote said that thousands of euros worth of damage had been done. He said he spoke to one of …