A third of all shootings in country occur in Limerick city

A THIRD of all shootings in the country occur in Limerick city, a garda chief revealed yesterday.

Chief Superintendent Gerry Kelly, head of the Limerick Garda Division, also said a high percentage of legally held shotguns stolen in the country end up in the hands of Limerick criminals. His revelations about the city's gun problem came at a private two-hour meeting with city council members.

After the meeting, Chief Supt Kelly said: "At the beginning of this year a third of all shootings which occurred in the 25 garda divisions in the State, happened in Limerick. I have deployed extra 24-hour armed patrols in the city and this has brought the number of shootings to somewhere between one-third and one-quarter for the entire country, at present.