Surge in burglaries this year: Listen to gardaí on topic of crime

THE latest figures from the Central Statistics Office reveal an alarming increase in the number of burglaries carried out over the past year.

In all, 30,000 premises were burgled in the first nine months of the year alone and the prospect is that by the end of the year that figure could be closer to 40,000.

According to Fianna Fáil, the reason this is happening is that the Government talks tough but acts soft on crime. That may be just a soundbite in advance of next spring’s general election, but the coalition have made themselves vulnerable to such charges by closing 139 Garda stations around the country.

While Fianna Fáil’s comments may be dismissed as political posturing, those of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors cannot. They are the people at the coalface of crime and they have specifically linked the upsurge in burglaries to “the human impact of Garda station closures”.

The Irish Farmers’ Association is also deeply concerned at the escalation of rural crime, particularly the theft of the likes of farm machinery, livestock and scrap metal.

The Government parties must at least ask themselves if the closures were worth it and revisit their justification on the grounds of efficiency.

After all, they have only saved the State €556,000 a year while the cost to rural communities is immeasurable.