CCTV on Shannon bridges to combat crime gangs

by Tim Ryan

A Galway TD has called for the installation of Garda CCTV systems at the bridges at Portumna and Banagher – to deter criminals for entering and exiting Galway.

The call was made in the Dáil last week by Fianna Fáil Deputy Anne Rabbitte, who believed it would help a great deal to prevent raids by larger gangs who enter Galway via one bridge and leave by the other.

“If we had CCTV cameras, it would be fantastic,” she said during a debate on rural crime.

“There are fantastic dog kennels at the new Garda station and I would love to see drug dogs in Galway. Currently, we have to apply to Cork or Limerick to borrow a dog for drug raids.

“Drugs are no longer an urban issue but also a rural issue. It would enhance the capacity of gardaí on the ground to protect the youth,” she added.

Independent Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice said there were hits on a house in Caltra – before the offenders moved on to Glenamaddy.

“The issue is not the amount stolen but the ransacking of the properties,” he said.

“The fear that such crime instils in an area, especially among older people, is the big problem. Obviously, such news travels. People, especially the older generation, are locking themselves in their homes.”

Strategically, he said the Garda stations that are going to be open and the ones that are not need to be nailed down sooner rather than later.

“Communities in some places are also willing to do work. More Garda patrol cars can be seen in rural areas during the day. It could be debated whether they are out on checkpoint duty in the morning time,” he said.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.