This article is from page 12 of the 2008-04-29 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
A MAJOR initiative geared towards cracking down on burglaries and thefts has sprung into action. The move comes in the wake of crime Statistics showing that those offences
account for almost 80 per cent of all crimes reported last year.
As gardai estimate that there has been a further increase in these types of crime since the start of this year, they are aiming to tackle this head-on.
The initiative is being rolled out nationally and gardai in Clare are warning people to be mindful of op- portunistic crime, particularly dur- TbOTSMn OM oComncL UDO ON OaCe)
Ennistymon Superintendent Gabri- el O’Gara said that thefts from cars
and thefts of machinery are of par- ticular concern in the county.
Several cars parked in tourist spots across the county are targeted every Summer. Just last week, two cars parked at Inchiquin Lake were bro- ken into while their owners were out fishing. A substantial amount of cash was taken from one of the cars.
Supt O’Gara is also warning peo- ple to be aware of distraction crime in rural areas.
“People are going around selling stuff. They are targeting people living on their own. One person attracts your attention at the front door, while another goes around to the back of your home. The advice is to only buy from reputable people. Don’t engage them,” he said.
“In rural communities, be vigilant in relation to your own property and your neighbours. Take numbers of cars,” he said.
He confirmed that meetings have been held in recent weeks with a view to re-establishing several com- munity alert groups in north Clare.
“We are going to up the ante on this by getting more people involved and having more regular meetings,” said Supt O’Gara.