Gardaí report increase in domestic incidents

Burglaries, drink driving, serious assaults and domestic disputes all increased during the first five months of this year, according to the latest Galway Garda crime report.

Public order offences have reduced between January and May, and many road traffic offences and thefts have fallen during the five-month period which covers the Covid-19 lockdown.

Domestic incidents rose sharply during the period, compared with last year, with the number of breaches of Barring Orders, Safety Orders and Protection Orders up 47% to 56 incidents. That’s an additional 18 breaches compared with the first five months of 2019.

There were a further 349 domestic dispute incidents, where there was no offence disclosed. That was up 79 or 29%. These are domestic incidents where no complaint is made.

Garda Chief Superintendent Tom Curley said the spike in domestic incidents related to the latter weeks of the Covid-19 lockdown.

“Cabin fever was setting in at that stage,” he said at the latest County Galway Joint Policing Committee (JPC) meeting.

The incidents are not necessarily involving partners, and include disputes between siblings who live together, and children in dispute with their parents, he said.

There were eleven rapes reported to Gardaí during the first five months of the year, down 52% compared with last year; and 31 sexual assaults were reported, down 30% compared with the corresponding months in 2019.

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