Garda statistics show property crime on the rise in Galway

Overall property crime in Galway City increased by 8.6% in 2019, official Garda figures confirmed.

The number of burglaries fell by 21% last year, but all other categories of thefts were up, according to the local Garda report of crime statistics for 2019.

Some 59 fewer burglaries were recorded last year, down to 222 burglaries, Chief Superintendent Tom Curley said at the annual public meeting of the Galway City Joint Policing Committee (JPC).

However, he said that the detection rate for burglaries had fallen to about 13% or 14%.

Thefts from motor vehicles was up 28% to 175; this was fuelled by a surge in thefts of catalytic converters of Toyota Prius cars that are a decade old. Chief Supt Curley said some progress had been made in the investigation of these thefts.

Thefts from the person, which includes stealing mobile phones in nightclubs and larger pubs, was up 52% to 76 incidents. Detection rates for this was about 20%, he said.

Thefts from shops was up 6% to 624 incidents, although the detections rates for this type of crime was quite high at 75% or 80%, he said. There were 333 other thefts recorded last year, up 30% compared with 2018.

There was no change in the number of public order offences in the city in 2019 – 590, which was the exact same as the previous year.

Begging offences are down by 61% to 19 incidents of begging.

Assaults causing harm are up 6% to 102 incidents, and minor assaults are up 11% to 325 incidents.

Cllr Owen Hanley expressed concern at the rise in the number of domestic incidents recorded in the Garda report.

There was a 23% increase in the number of breaches of barring orders, safety orders and protection orders.

The number of domestic incidents where ‘no offence is disclosed’ jumped by 67%. These are where Gardaí are called to homes for domestic incidents but there is no evidence to proceed or the alleged victim does not make a statement.

Chief Supt Curley said he was satisfied with the protocol in these cases whereby Gardaí call back at a later date to check that the ‘victim’ is okay.