“However, crimes against the person have decreased significantly.”
INCIDENTS of property crime have widely increased across county Limerick in the three month period to August 2011.
However, crimes against the person have decreased significantly.
In a report by Chief Superintendent David Sheahan, presented at a Joint Policing Committee meeting in County Hall, the gardaí were praised for their efforts to reduce crime across the board.
Property crime had increased in the garda jurisdictions of Bruff, Newcastle West, Roxboro Road and Henry Street and Castleconnell Sub-Districts for June to August 2011, compared to the same period the previous year, up 2% overall.
The most significant increase under the heading of Property Crime was for ‘possession of an article’, which was up 400% from one incident to five.
Chief Supt Sheahan explained that the crime involved: “the possession of an article, or items, that could be used in a robbery, such as a screwdriver”.
“The figure really reflects success in terms of detection,” he said.
Robbery from a person had decreased from 19 incidents in 2010 to 11 this year, representing a 42% decline, while theft from the person was up from 31 cases to 34.
“The difference between theft and robbery from the person is the degree of violence used”, added Chief Supt Sheahan.
Thefts from a vehicle were also up considerably, from 134 incidents to 187, something gardaí are working on eliminating.
Under the Crimes Against the Person heading, there were no murders in the period, which is on an even keel to last year’s figure, while incidents of rape were down 63% from eight to three.
However sexual assault was up from 13 to 17 occurrences, with murder threats increased from three to seven.
Assaults causing harm, minor assaults and the abandonment/neglect of a child were all down, with a 15% fall overall in Crimes Against the Person.
Criminal Damage and Public Order crimes were down 6% in total, although arson was up 46%.
“Cases of arson often involve the setting of wheelie bins alight, and that kind of thing,“ said the superintendent.
Drugs and weapons offences decreased across the board, with the exception of the discharging of a firearm, up from three incidents to five, and the possession of offensive weapons, which remained at 32.
Traffic related crime was down 24% in total, while fatal traffic accidents were up 50%, from two to three and collisions resulting in serious injuries were up 100%, from three to six.
From the year period to July 2011 there had been nine fatal accidents on Limerick’s roads, on a par with the previous year’s figure.
However, Chief Supt David Sheahan said that while there were nine fatal accidents this year, one of these was a double fatality, meaning that a total of 10 people were killed in Limerick in the year to July 2011.
“Last year the Barnagh Road caused serious grief when several people were killed there, but we have now obliterated the problem and have had no fatal accidents there this year,” said Supt Sheehan.
September 13 marked the one year anniversary of the death of three friends, who were killed a fatal RTC at Barnagh, as they returned from the Galway races.
It was also confirmed that great strides had been made in reducing the incidents of drink driving, which is now down from 112 occurrences to 85.
