A GROUP of Indian and Pakistani residents in the Dooradoyle/Raheen area claim they are being targeted by burglars who are under the mistaken impression that they are hoarding quantities of gold.
Members of the Asian community believe they have been specifically targeted by thieves in a spate of burglaries hailed by local councillor Daniel Butler as “a seriously concerning racial profiling by local criminals”.
At least six homes of Indian and Pakistani residents in the Dooradoyle/Raheen area have been broken into in recent months with members of the Asian community putting these crimes down to racial stereotyping.
“This is totally unacceptable in our modern community that is now multicultural in nature,” commented Cllr Butler (FG).
“There has been at least six reported cases in recent times with a recent lull in this activity but not a cessation and with easy access to cash for gold facilities we do not expect this to go away. It seems that the Asian community are being targeted by criminals because of what is perceived as their tendency to have more gold in their homes than their fellow community members. This is completely unfounded,” he said.
As part of Asian traditions jewellery and gold are often purchased to celebrate special occasions such as weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and cultural events like Diwali. The price of gold has rocketed in recent years with the upsurge in cash for gold outlets throughout the city and county. Asian gold is also thought to be of a higher purity with a higher resale value making it more attractive to criminals.
Late last year a group of up to 60 Asian residents from the Dooradoyle/Raheen area signed a petition in relation to this issue and submitted it to the Gardai.
According to local resident, Dr Khan of the University Hospital Limerick, there was no further action after they met with Gardaí.
