Gardaí in Dublin make more than 500 arrests in a week
Gardaí out on patrol on Talbot Street in Dublin's north inner city. Picture: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos
Gardaí in Dublin carried out 1,500 patrols over the course of one week as part of ongoing efforts to prevent and detect crime.
Between July 28 and August 3, more than 500 arrests were made in the Dublin region and more than 680 searches were carried out. The majority of the searches (approximately 500) were related to drugs while 89 arrests were for drug trafficking.
Of the patrols, 154 were on and around public transport and 57 were part of Operation Citizen. During the course of the seven days, gardaí attended nine protests and also attended a number of high-profile sporting events.
Operation Citizen is "focused on reassuring the public, residents, visitors, businesses and workers that Dublin City Centre is a positive safe environment".
An Garda Síochána have been keen to show high visibility in the city centre since an American tourist was seriously assaulted last month.
Assistant Commissioner of the Dublin Metropolitan Region, Angela Willis, said the statistics show the dedication to keeping the people in the Dublin region safe.
"It reflects the work that is undertaken every week by gardaí in Dublin," said Asst Comm. Willis. "In the last week alone, this has seen significant amounts of drugs taken off the streets, lives protected on our roads, and enabled people and communities to enjoy a variety of events safely."
During the weekend of July 29 and 30, gardaí responded to three robberies and three arrests were made for the three separate incidents. These individuals have all been charged and have appeared before the courts.
Between July 28 and August 3, a number of drug seizures were made including one at Parnell Street where a man on a bike was found in possession of drugs valued at approximately €17,660.
On August 3, members of the Ballymun Drugs Unit were on patrol when they saw a man run from a car into an apartment block.
Both the apartments and the car were watched for a period of time and gardaí stopped and searched the man after he exited the building.
He was in possession of MDMA powder which was valued at around €61,200. The man also had a number of ecstasy tablets and a small amount of Alprozolam. He was arrested and brought before the courts.
On the same day, a search resulted in the seizure of drugs worth €39,400 in Donaghmede and a man was arrested.
Also on the same day, 4.1kg of cannabis worth an estimated €83,000 was seized along with €16,000 in cash at an address in Clondalkin. A man was arrested and detained.
Local independent councillor, Nial Ring, welcomed the heightened garda presence in the city in recent weeks. Mr Ring said that publishing information on the number of arrests is very positive and will be appreciated by the people of Dublin.
"It is showing that they are actually working hard — as they always have done — to make sure that people are not only safe, but feel safe," he said. "As we always point out, the only way people will feel safe on the streets is if they see gardaí on patrol."
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