3091 recorded burglaries in Tipperary is a terrifying statistic

Independent TD Mattie McGrath has described confirmation of the level of recorded burglary for Co. Tipperary over the past four years as a damning indictment of Government crime prevention policy. Deputy McGrath was speaking after the Minister for Justice presented the figures to him as part of her reply to an Oral Parliamentary Question which he had submitted:

“Behind each of these figures is a family or community that has been terrified or subjected to a serious invasion of their homes. They are a stark and brutal indictment of the appalling failure of the policy that has been pursued both by former Minister Shatter and the current Minister in terms of the refusal to respond to requests to reallocate Garda personnel to rural stations.

I am advised that the number of burglary and related offences recorded in the CSO official crime figures for the Tipperary Garda Division in each of the years in question was 737 in 2011, 693 in 2012, 755 in 2013, 637 in 2014 and 269 in 2015 up to 30 June.

On top of this we have the continuance of the smoke and mirrors policy of Garda recruitment. The Minister says she will be allowing for a further 600 to be recruited when we all know that at least two thirds of that number will be needed just to maintain current levels due to retirements etc.

There is an abysmal failure to comprehend to scale of the emergency and the assault on rural Ireland; an assault that is stunningly borne out by the statistics that have been provided to me today,” concluded Deputy McGrath.