OVER 80 people were before the courts in Limerick on burglary charges during the first nine months of 2025, the third highest in the country.
Figures from the Irish Courts Service provided to Ireland South MEP and former barrister Cynthia Nà Mhurchú show that 83 people were before the local courts during this time.
57 people appeared before Limerick District Court for burglary and nine of them for aggravated burglary. A further 26 people were sent forward for trial to Limerick Circuit Criminal Court.
1,187 people in all of Ireland were before the district courts across Ireland for burglary offences during the first nine months of 2025, with 347 sent forward for trial.
Dublin tops the table when it comes to burglary figures with 622 people coming before the district and circuit courts there for burglary in the first nine months of last year. Dublin is quickly followed by Cork and Limerick.
Ms Nà Mhurchú is calling for a range of measures to be introduced to tackle burglary incidents including “an end to the practice of letting burglars out on temporary release from prisons”, “more targeted community supports to protect communities … including a doubling of funding under the Community Safety Fund, more funding for community CCTV and consideration to be given to expanding grant aid schemes for security alarms to be installed in the homes of older people, in particular those who are living alone in rural Ireland.”
The Ireland South MEP is also reiterating Garda calls on people to stop posting holiday pictures on social media, which advertise that they are not at home and also to look out for any suspicious vehicles or activity on their neighbours property  – in particular in very rural parts of the country during the dark winter months – a peak time for the offence of burglary.
As well as this, Nà Mhurchú says many community leaders remain unaware of the Community Safety Fund, which allows for the proceeds of crime seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) and An Garda SÃochána to be directed back into communities, in order to fund innovative local projects aimed at building stronger, safer communities.
The €4million funding works within communities to provide funding for things like diversion programmes for repeat and young offenders, drug awareness programmes, and restorative justice initiatives. There is also a stream of funding for community CCTV projects and community alert support programmes.
Nà Mhurchú has since asked the Department of Justice to inform community groups of the 2026 funding allocation, consider doubling it and advise politicians and community leaders when the funding call opens for applications.