Anti-burglary strategy Raises Serious Questions
Independent TD Mattie McGrath has said the unveiling of a new anti burglary strategy, while welcome, has raised troubling questions about the prevention methods which have been in place until now. Deputy McGrath made his comments as the new strategy seeks to target prolific and repeat offenders:
“Any effort to target garda resources between Divisions in a more coordinated manner is very welcome and long over due. But this new strategy is essentially an acknowledgment that the efforts to date have been entirely hit and miss.
What is deeply troubling is the awareness that the data on these repeat offenders, about 200 in all, has obviously been available to gardaí over the past year.
In light of that it must be asked why it has taken such a critical mass of rampant rural crime to bring this information together in a targeted way?
Many people will rightly come to the view that this strategy is just one more effort in the Governments attempt to spin the electorate prior to the General Election.
Where was this sense of urgency last year when there was no election in sight?
That being said, rural Ireland needs and demands a level of seriousness from government on this issue which it has not had to date.
If this strategy had been implemented even a year ago, Tipperary alone might have been spared the trauma of several hundred burglaries which have plagued the county in that time” concluded Deputy McGrath.
