Criminal gangs know rural localities better than gardaí, warns councillor

Dangerous and highly mobile gangs can gather more intelligence on villages and rural communities than the gardaí, the chairman of a policing committee has said.

Fine Gael Cllr Liam Galvin, of the Co Limerick joint policing committee, said the closure of rural Garda stations and centralisation of Garda resources in larger towns had opened up opportunities for roaming gangs to break in to houses and steal from businesses.

His comments come amid a spike in rural crime.