Rural crime wave puts neighbours on red alert

Picture the scene. You are not the hardworking and diligent person that you are. You are not a respectable member of the community. You are a lazy lout incapable of working for a living or contributing to life in this country like the rest of us.

So instead of doing a decent day’s work for a decent day’s wage, you and your friends climb into a van, and with darkness descending, head out to rural Ireland in search of easy pickings.

You arrive at a location, and take whatever crude tools you need from the van to break, beat or blow your way into whatever premises that has been selected. A premises perhaps where a young family rest, or an elderly man or woman live in isolation.