Over 1,300 arrested in burglary crackdown

Nearly 200 people are being arrested per month as part of a national crackdown on burglaries.

Since Operation Fiacla started last February, more than 1,300 people have been arrested and over 800 of them have been before the courts.

The haul is being seen as a success for gardaí and is thought to have had an impact on burglaries with local reports suggesting break-ins are down, albeit from a high level.

Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan launched the operation against a background of continuing increases in burglaries across the country.

The police chief said the sheer number of burglaries was causing the force a “headache”.

In 2011, the number of break-ins rose by 8%, to almost 27,500, some 2,000 more than 2010.

Top of the Garda’s list are the country’s 300 most wanted burglars, nominated by detectives from each of the 29 Garda divisions in the state.

Many of the top suspects are members of travelling gangs that maraud the countryside in high-powered vehicles, often using extreme violence in their crimes.

Detectives endeavour to prosecute a suspect, who is charged with multiple burglaries, at the same time in order to secure the highest possible penalty and denial of bail, where it is sought.

Designated officers operate a case management system against a specific target and build up a comprehensive file on them as part of the investigation file sent to the DPP.

A large number of the travelling gangs are based in Dublin, including Tallaght, Clondalkin and Finglas. These outfits have been heavily targeted.

The operation will run for 12 months initially, at which stage it will be reviewed and a decision made whether or not to continue it.

“The operation is focused on identifying and targeting mobile gangs involved in burglaries around the country so as to disrupt their activities and bring them before the courts,” a Garda source said.

Fiacla, coordinated on a national level by Assistant Commissioner Derek Byrne, who is in charge of the National Support Services, brings together a number of regional operations. These include Acer in Dublin, Láidir in the South East, Aimsear in the West, Bliain in the South, Airgead in the North and Obair in the East.

The operation is driven by intelligence on the targets with divisional crime management teams playing a key role in coordinating and implementing search and arrest operations.

The operation is also targeting gangs involved in armed robberies. Recently a notorious outfit in Co Carlow, suspected of being behind 70 crimes, was hit. Seven members were arrested.

There is no dedicated budget for the operation and Garda management try to conduct operations as part of routine, rostered policing duties, thereby limiting any need for overtime, the budget for which has been slashed.