New Garda rosters help to cut street crimes
Although they have yet to fully analyse crime figures across the region, chiefsuperintendent Tom Hayes told a Joint Policing Committee (JPC) meeting yesterday statistics would suggest newly introduced rosters are having an impact.
From Jun-Aug 2012, there were 111 assaults causing harm but, during the same period this year, the figure fell to 78.
Minor assaults were down from 309 to 285, while public order offences dropped from 918 to 762 and incidents of drunkenness fell from 487 to 331.
“The new rosters are still being piloted so we have yet to analyse their full impact and benefit. But the figures would suggest that they are having an impact in reducing some crimes,” chief supt Hayes said.
The new rostering agreement has meant that more gardaí are now on the beat in urban areas when revellers spill out of pubs and nightclubs — which have always been traditional flashpoint times for violence.
However, some crimes have risen, slightly.
Burglaries are up from 319 to 346 over the comparable periods, while thefts from vehicles also saw an increase from 215 to 227.
Chief supt Hayes saidrural areas were suffering from burglaries, especially parts of North Cork being targeted by gangs from Limerick and Dublin.
He said thefts from vehicles had probably risen because of the recent spell of good weather and these were difficult to solve because many took place at secluded beauty spots.
Theft of property, in general, was also on the way up from 413 to 497.
He said, in particular, thieves were taking home heating oil, tools and even telephone cables. “We had one incident in West Cork recently when 100 metres of telephone cable was stolen in an isolated area. They steal the cable for the metal inside.”
He was asked by Deputy David Stanton, chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Justice, what was the value of goods stolen from shops in the city and county every year and said he would shortly supply the figures.
He said gardaí solved 80% of such crimes and mostly recovered the stolen goods.
Chief supt Hayes said, in general, most thefts from shops were of low-value items, but one foreign gang had been specialising in targeting pharmacies and stealing high-value stock.
