People need clear rights over protecting homes

MIDDLE-RANKING gardaí yesterday demanded people be given a clear right to protect their homes and their families.

The president of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) Dan Hanley said this was a growing issue given the rise in home break-ins.

“A huge issue for people is their right to defend themselves and their families in their own homes. We need legislation to protect people who are unfortunate enough to experience burglary or aggravated burglary.”

He told delegates at the AGSI annual conference this area had not been legally clarified since a high-profile case in 2004, when a Traveller was shot dead while on the property of Mayo farmer Padraig Nally.

Mr Nally was initially convicted of the manslaughter of John “Frog” Ward, but his conviction was quashed on appeal in October 2006 and he was subsequently found not guilty of manslaughter by a jury in a retrial.

“Since the John ‘Frog’ Ward case in 2006 we have had a debate rumbling on in the background about this issue,” said Mr Hanley.

He said that in 2008 the British parliament enacted legislation on this matter and the then home secretary Jack Straw said: “The justice system must not only work on the side of people who do the right thing as good citizens, but also seen to work on their side.”

Mr Hanley said he agreed with these principles.

“It needs to be clearly set out in law what people can do to defend themselves, and also to enable our courts to deal with those who invade homes and threaten or attack law-abiding citizens.”

The AGSI head also said he was very concerned at Government announcements that the €1.7 billion regeneration projects in disadvantaged Limerick estates would not be going ahead.

“This is extremely serious. Unless we as a country take action now to break the cycle of deprivation and disadvantage in these housing estates, we will have to suffer the consequences for generations to come.

“We need to support and strengthen the large majority of decent people in those areas.

“We need to stand up to the small groups who have been keeping the good people of these estates hostage for many years.”

He said less than 100 people had succeeded in blackening the name of Limerick and appealed to the Government to stamp out criminality and intimidation in these estates.

“If we do not, then the criminals will have won and we will have abandoned very many good people in the process. The consequences of not driving on with the regeneration programme are too appalling to contemplate,” he warned.

Mr Hanley also said the association supported the Government’s clampdown on head shops selling so-called legal highs.