Garda praises ‘phenomenal’ fall in city shootings

Limerick’s most senior garda has attributed the “phenomenal” decline in shootings in the region to the relentless pursuit of some of the most senior figures in the criminal underworld.

Speaking at the first ever joint meeting of Limerick city and county joint policing committees yesterday, Chief Supt Dave Sheahan unveiled the latest crime figures for the division.

In 2007, the Limerick region accounted for one third of all shootings in the State, when 103 incidents involving the discharge of firearms were recorded.

Last year was the fifth successive year that the division recorded a major decline. Gardaí had to investigate just seven shootings in Limerick last year, compared to 14 in 2011.

“There has been a phenomenal decrease each year that goes by,” said Chief Supt Sheahan.

“Part of the reason is some of the strategies that we have being employing in respect of taking it head on with some of the senior figures in the criminal underworld.

“We have relentlessly gone after some of the senior figures and that has in my view has had a major impact in respect of the reduction.”

Chief Supt Sheahan also said there had not been a murder in Limerick since Jan 18, 2012, which he said goes a long way towards improving the image of the city.

He said he was “very heartened” at recent comments by state pathologist Marie Cassidy, who said the amount of time she spent in Limerick had reduced significantly.

“Prof Marie Cassidy, in an oration in UL [University of Limerick] last week, made the point that she seems to be coming down less frequently to Limerick, and if I never see her here again, it will be all the better because, in fairness to her, she has been a very staunch supporter of the way we do things down here,” said Chief Supt Sheahan.

“For a person of such eminence to come along and make those comments, it was very heartening to me from a policing perspective to be underlying what she has already said because there’s no doubt in my mind there has been a major sea change in the city.”

Chief Supt Sheahan said it had been a long time since the Limerick division recorded a 15-month period without a murder.

In 2010, there were seven murders in Limerick.

“Limerick is a changed place and we would like to keep it that way. We are very proud of the fact that we have made such a sea change in the last number of years.”