Tag Archives: gardai

A CLARE teenage boy was blackmailed for money after he sent explicit images of himself to another person through social media. Gardaí in Clare are now urging parents to become better aware of their children’s online activity in light of the recent incident. Clare Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks has described the matter as “very upsetting and traumatic for the parent and teenager”. A report was made to gardaí by the teenager’s mother over the Christmas period. According to Sergeant Brooks the teenage boy believed he was in contact with a woman through Facebook and he sent the explicit pictures of himself to that person. Shortly after this a demand was made for a substantial amount of money, or else the pictures would be shared. “No money was given over and the link was shared with some of his friends but fortunately the link could not be opened,” she outlined. Sergeant Brooks has encouraged parents to speak to their …

CLARE people and businesses are being advised by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau to be mindful of a new startup of Revenue Scam calls, which have occurred regularly in the past. A garda spokesperson explains, “The potential victim receives a phone call from a appears to be an ‘051’ number, similar to a Waterford landline number. These are what are known as Voip numbers – computer generated numbers. “The caller will try to acquire the personal information/data or bank details of the potential victim. This attempt can vary but it is usually the following examples; a tax refund is due or immediate payment for a tax bill is required, sometimes to avoid a criminal prosecution The caller will then ask for the potential victims credit/debit card or bank account details. “The Revenue scam in the past has also used both email and text message as a way of contacting potential victims, this will undoubtedly occur again this time.” The …

GARDAÍ in Clare have issued a number of safety tips for this Christmas. In relation to Covid-19 gardaí advise that every contact counts. “If you must meet up this Christmas keep your contacts to a minimum, wear a mask if you can’t stay two metres apart and follow the HSE guidelines for your safety and others,” says Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks. However, the advice is not confined to Covid safety. “Drink alcohol responsibly and if you are going out plan your night, tell someone where you are going and when you’ll be back. Don’t walk home alone but if you have to walk in well-lit areas,” she urges. People are being reminded to take care when carrying your handbag and phone, keep handbags zipped and don’t put a wallet in your back pocket. “Only take out as much money as you need at ATMs and cover your pin,” she says. Other advice includes not leaving shopping on view …

FOUR out of ten cars examined as part of Operation Curb in Clare this month were found to be “dangerously defective”, according to gardaí. Gardaí from the Divisional Roads Policing Unit in Clare carried out Operation Curb on December 12 last. Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks explains, “The purpose of Operation Curb is to detect and educate road users in relation to road safety and the dangers of modifying cars over the legal limit.” She confirmed a total of ten cars were examined by the PSV inspector, “four of which were found to be dangerously defective. One car, which has recently failed its NCT more than once, was found to have a major defect with its steering rod whilst another car had oversized wheels which would hit the wheel arch when turning.  This affects steering and braking and also causes excessive wear and tear on the tyres. It also causes spray and debris to be thrown back onto following …

WITNESSES are being sought after the homes of elderly people in Ennis and Clarecastle were targetted by burglars last week. Both incidents occurred on Friday night, December 4, with gardaí in Ennis appealing to anybody with any information to contact them. The first burglary took place in a house in the Crescent on St Senan’s Road Ennis. At approximately7.40pm an elderly couple were downstairs in their home when they heard a loud noise upstairs. The elderly man went up the stairs and saw that a lock on a bedroom had been opened and that a hall window was open. When he looked out he saw a male wearing a peaked cap sitting on a flat roof of the house. This male then made his escape. There was nothing taken in this burglary, gardaí have confirmed. The second burglary occurred around 8.45pm in a house in Manusmore, Clarecastle. An elderly man who was in bed heard a loud bang in his …

GARDAÍ seized €1,900 of suspected drugs in Kilrush, on Tuesday, December 8. As part of an ongoing operation targeting the sale and supply of drugs in West Clare, Gardaí from Kilrush executed a search warrant at a house in the Kilrush area at around 11am. During the course of the search Gardaí seized €1,500 of suspected cannabis herb and €400 of suspected benzodiazepine tablets along with a quantity of plastic bags. The suspected drugs will now be sent to Forensic Science Ireland for analysis. No arrests have been made but Gardaí are following a definite line of enquiry.

GARDAI seized of over €60,000 worth of suspected drugs and cash on Wednesday evening. As part of an operation targeting the sale and supply of drugs, Gardaí from the Clare Divisional Drugs Unit carried out a search of a yard in the Clarecastle area. There they seized suspected cannabis herb with a street value of €40,000 along with €17,000 cash. Follow up searches were also carried at fields in Ennis and Tiermaclane where Gardaí seized over €2,500 cash and €700 of suspected cannabis herb. All of the suspected drugs will now be sent for analysis. Two men, both aged in their 40s, were arrested and detained at Ennis and Shannon Garda Stations under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996 and have since been released. A file will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

A CLARE woman parted with a “substantial” sum of money after falling for a fraudster, sparking local gardaí to warn the public to be on the look out for potential ‘romance scams’ while looking for love. It has emerged that the woman met a man purporting to be a German engineer living in Galway on an online dating site. The relationship developed and they began privately messaging each other. The man told her he was involved in a project for work and needed money for materials which he would repay, however it emerged that this was a scam. Clare Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks explains, “Between September and October this year a lady developed an online relationship with a man who said he was a German engineer living in Galway – the relationship started on a dating site and progressed to What’s App messages. He was very persuasive and told the lady that he was involved in a project …