Cork superintendent appointed as first-ever Rural Crime Lead

Fermoy-based Supt Michael Corbett has identified farm machinery theft, illegal hunting, burglary, and drugs as some of the key areas he is looking to tackle.

Fermoy-based Supt Michael Corbet: 'If it's not reported, we can't investigate it, so we want people to report crime — no matter how small or how insignificant they think it is.' Picture: Dan Linehan

Clampdowns on theft and illegal hunting will be some of the primary targets for a Cork superintendent appointed as the first-ever Rural Crime Lead for An Garda Síochána.

Fermoy-based Supt Michael Corbett was appointed to the new position by Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly.

The role will be central to fighting rural crime and supporting communities across the country.

Farm machinery theft is an ongoing issue in rural areas, he said.

“You have stolen machinery coming in from the UK here and vice versa," he said. "You have stolen farm machinery going up to the North and going across to the UK.

“That's always been there, but it's about an awareness campaign around preventative measures, so that people with high-value machinery take steps to mark their property, even putting GPS trackers on machinery.

“It's just about using technology as best we can to prevent crime, and it’s about securing your property.” 

Illegal hunting

Tackling illegal hunting will be another focus of his tenure.

“Illegal hunting and trespassing on farmland is a huge issue at the moment for the farming organisations because you have people out hunting with dogs and lurchers, hunting rabbits and hares and foxes, and they're trespassing on property that they don't have permission to be on and they're worrying animals and farm livestock."

Illegal hunting has increased significantly in recent years, with a noticeable spike since the covid pandemic, he said.

“We've taken a number of prosecutions for illegal hunting and trespassing in Cork recently.” 

Penalties handed down by the courts have been fines of up to €700, he said.

Burglary and drugs

He will also work with Garda operations to target burglary gangs. Some 900 people were arrested for burglary in the first six months of this year, he said.

He will also work to support Operation Tara, a national Garda operation targeting the sale and supply of drugs.

“Drugs are a big issue in rural Ireland," Supt Corbett said. "And with drugs, there is also drug debt intimidation."

Every garda division now has an inspector assigned to drug debt intimidation, he said, and he encouraged people to always report this crime to gardaí.

“Come forward to report it, and it will be treated in confidence,” Supt Corbett said.

Theft of home heating oil and diesel will be something Supt Corbett will also watch — and aim to prevent — as winter approaches, fuel costs rise, and as a spike in this type of crime is expected.

'Eyes and ears on the ground'

Supt Corbett is calling on people in rural communities to report all crimes to gardaí — big or small — so that they can tackle these crimes.

“If it's not reported, we can't investigate it, so we want people to report crime — no matter how small or how insignificant they think it is."

He also called for rural communities, small towns and villages, to work with gardaí, because they are the “eyes and ears on the ground”.

“We’d always say to people to look out for people in their communities, especially their older neighbours and people living on their own and the vulnerable," he said.

“They should be keeping an eye on them, and if they see any suspicious cars or vehicles out of place they should follow their gut and take a note of the registration number and ring the local garda station just to get it checked out.

We're happy to take those calls all day long.” 

He said that sometimes people in rural communities may choose not to report crime, especially those crimes where people come to clear gutters, cut hedges, or tarmac driveways but then charge extortionate prices — often to vulnerable people.

But these crimes should always be reported to gardaí, he said.

The position of Rural Crime Lead is already established in police forces in the North, the UK, and European countries.

“My role will involve being the conduit for national rural organisations and rural communities that have issues around rural crime," said Supt Corbett.

“I’ll keep a spotlight on rural crime and trends in rural crime — how we can tackle it and how we can prevent it."

Supt Corbett has sat on the Rural Safety Forum for the last four years already, working on these issues.

“So I'm acutely aware of what a lot of the issues are in rural Ireland as regards the theft of machinery, trespassing, illegal hunting, all those issues that are really big issues at the moment,” he said.