25% of farmers own a gun and would use it for protection

More than a quarter of farming families said they would be prepared to use a gun to protect themselves or their loved ones, while a new poll result shows a similar percentage own a licensed weapon.

The latest poll findings show that 28% of respondents said they would use a gun if required and that 25% own a weapon. Moreover, 32% of men and 33% of those aged under 35 said they would use a gun if they or their family was threatened.

Gun ownership was highest among those aged 45 to 54 (31%) and among those with the largest farms (33%).

The Irish Examiner/ ICMSA poll also highlights continuing fears about crime in rural areas and misgivings about how it is being addressed.

Just 22% agreed that there was a visible Garda presence in their local area, with one-third of those aged under 35 sharing that view. But 75% of the overall poll disagreed there was a strong visible Garda presence where they lived.

Despite this, 84% of those questioned said neither they nor a member of their family had been a victim of crime in the last year. Just 14% of respondents said they or a family member had been a victim of crime over the previous 12 months.

Men and those under 35 were most likely to say they or a family member had fallen victim to crime in that period, as were those in types of farms other than livestock, tillage, and dairy.

Responding to the poll finding, the Garda Press Office said: “According to official crime statistics rural crime levels are not above crime levels in other parts of the country. In 2018, thefts from farms were down 8% from the year before.

“In addition, An Garda Síochána’s quarterly public attitude survey shows that the vast majority of people — approximately 80% — have no major concerns about crime in their local area.

“In fact, the quarterly public attitude survey shows that concerns about local crime are lower in rural areas than in urban areas — 12% of people in rural areas are concerned or very concerned about local crime compared to nearly doubt that for people in urban areas.

“As Commissioner [Drew] Harris has stated previously, the fear of crime is a concern for An Garda Síochána, particularly among those living in isolated areas and the vulnerable.

That is why An Garda Síochána is focused on increasing the number of gardaí on the front-line and increasing Garda visibility in communities.

That includes the recently announced new Operating Model, which the spokesman said would mean a significant increase in the number of frontline gardaí as well as the introduction of community policing teams.

The gardaí also referred to Operation Thor, which targets burglaries, and to the introduction of a number of successful crime prevention initiatives including Text-Alert and said further such initiatives are planned in this area.

An Irish Rural Link (IRL) spokesman said while CSO crime figures have shown a decrease in the incidents of burglaries, robberies, and theft, those figures were still not confirmed and argued some crimes go unreported.

“While we understand that not every Garda station closed during the recession can be reopened, we continue to call for the increase in Garda presence in rural areas by multiplying the number of patrol cars,” an IRL spokesperson said.

Irish Rural Link also called for more supports for neighbourhood watch and community text alert schemes and said the take-up of the Community CCTV scheme “still remains low”.

“IRL has called for the establishment of a rural policing forum in each divisional area,” the spokesperson said.

“It is important these forums would play a significant role in regional policing especially in areas where there are large numbers of vulnerable people. This would replace the Joint Policing Committee and give community groups more autonomy in coming up with ways of making their communities more secure.”