Four hefty sentences handed down by the courts to heroin dealers in recent weeks should send out a very strong warning, the division’s top garda said.
Chief Superintendent Michael Finn welcomed the 14-year sentence, two 10-year sentences, and a seven-year sentence, while addressing the Cork City Joint Policing Committee.
It was told that, while recorded crime figures are down across the board, robbery from institutions and the person is on the increase in the first two months of the year.
Last year, theft from the person was down 19%, stolen car offences were down 23%, theft from vehicles was down 8%, and handling of stolen goods was down 17%.
However, robbery is already up since January following a spate of burglaries and robberies from shops and supermarkets.
Street crime is up 11% and petty crime levels are on the rise.
Chief Supt Finn said Gardaí believe the rise to be associated with increased heroin use. Heroin seizures rose from four in 2004 to 199 last year.
"It’s not unique to any one particular district. It’s across the board. It is of concern to us and we are monitoring it," Chief Supt Finn said. "The heroin problem is about the same as last year. It’s not getting any worse, but not dropping as quickly."
He also said the city’s drug squad has been boosted and it now has the capacity to conduct forensic tests locally on seized drugs.
There have also been a number of arrests following the recent robbery spree. One individual was from Dublin. A female, on temporary release from prison, was arrested in Kerry.
Supt Con Cadogan said overall crime figures for the suburbs including Blackrock, Mahon, Gurranabraher, Bishopstown, Mayfield, Douglas and Togher are down thanks in part to the identification and targeting by Gardaí of antisocial hot-spots.
He acknowledged that after the Garda blitz, the problem can often be shifted elsewhere but he said Gardaí are tracking that issue.
Supt Barry McPolin said public order offences in the city centre reduced 8% last year. Offences for drunkenness were up 20% to almost 4,000 cases, public order offences were up 11%, affray, riot, violent disorder cases were down 33%, with just two serious cases recorded, and criminal damage was down 11%.
There were 262 cases of arson, mostly of cars, up 4%, but assault causing harm cases were down 12% to 235.
Committee members praised him for a major policing initiative around UCC’s Rag Week last month which reduced the level of antisocial behaviour in the area.
The committee was also told that fatal road traffic accidents reduced from five in 2008 to two in 2009 – a 60% decrease. But there have been three fatal accidents in the division already this year. The latest victim was buried on Thursday.
Source: Eoin English, The Irish Examiner, 08/03/2010
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