People living in fear, crime meeting is told

People are living in fear of being attacked in their rural homes across the county while some others are living in terror of a repeat attack, a public meeting on crime heard.

The crux of the matter is that there aren’t enough Gardaí on the beat, not enough patrol cars and too few police stations left open in rural Galway – that was the consensus of those who attended the meeting on crime prevention in the community.

The meeting was organised by the three Galway West candidates for Fianna Fáil, Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív, Cllr Mary Hoade and John Connolly, who chaired the event.

Sergeant Pat Flanagan, Crime Prevention Officer, and Bernard Kearney, of Muintír na Tíre, reiterated the importance of personal awareness re security matters and crime and said that a good community alert scheme was crucial to help make people safe in their own homes.

Sgt Flanagan outlined a number of ways individuals and the community can prevent crime or help Gardaí solve crime.

Having your house burgled, said Sgt Flanagan, was probably one of the most traumatic crimes for householders not only because personal property was stolen but thinking of strangers going through your rooms and invading your privacy was very distressing.

A number of people at the meeting said they believed the courts weren’t hard enough on burglars believing it was now considered a misdemeanour and those who did speak from the floor called for longer sentences. It was also contended that free legal aid fees should be collected from those convicted through social welfare payments.

There was also huge criticism from the floor at how many people re-offended while out on bail.

Deputy Ó Cuív said each case was different and that prison wasn’t always the answer.

“We have to be logical about this. You can’t jail people forever. The best thing is to get them away from a life of crime. And though many benefit from courses while in prison, one of the best stabilisers I have been told, is having a stable relationship.

“Being employed, too, reduces the chance of them reoffending. There’s a huge social issue here that has to be tackled. I believe that prison can become a university of crime for young people so sending people to prison for every crime is not the answer,” he added.

The message from the meeting was that the best way to reduce crime was vigilance, being aware of taking certain safety measures whether at home, in a place of business or in your car. But as well as individual responsiblities, communities, too, could help by being mindful of elderly people, especially those living on their own, being alert to strange and unusual movements in their areas, according to Sgt Flanagan who said he was more than happy to talk to residents associations and community groups.

Mr Kearney said Muintír na Tíre had helped set up a number of community alert groups and had recently set up a text alert scheme. He spointed out there were still a lot of vulnerable older people living in isolation in rural areas. These people, he said, needed to be checked on regularly and that was something communities could take on.

Cllr Mary Hoade said the moratorium on Gardaí had hit their numbers which meant less of them on the beat. The closure of ten Garda stations in rural Galway had not helped matters, she added.

John Connolly, who chaired the event, said: “Every community across County Galway has felt the effects of this crime wave that is sweeping across the country. Not a week goes by without reports about the latest burglary or robbery and people are becoming increasingly fearful in their own homes, especially those who are elderly or living on their own. I was shocked recently at the number of people who raised the issue with me on the doorstep,” said Mr Connolly.

Though burglaries, both in private homes and businesses, were much discussed, other crimes worrying those in attendance (there were about 80 in the Galway Bay Hotel in Salthill), were scams and bogus callers.

Sgt Flanagan advised people not to engage with unsolicited telephone callers or with cold callers to the door and never part with banking details.