Robberies soar
THE number of Kildare thefts rose dramatically by 17.8 percent since the first three months of the year. This is according to the latest crime figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) last week.
Drug offences in County Kildare increased by a shocking 76 percent since March.
However, this does not give an accurate picture of drug crime in Kildare.
This rise may be attributed to the large number of drugs offences committed at Oxegen, which takes place at Punchestown in July.
Local gardai investigated 352 controlled drug offences during July, August and September compared to just 84 similar offences in the first quarter of the year
A total of 891 thefts were reported during the third quarter of the year compared to just 732 similar offences in the first three months of 2011.
Other types of theft, including handling stolen property, rose from 413 during January, February and March to 560 from July to the end of September.
The number of offences for possession of drugs for personal use jumped from 62 to 286.
With garda resources under continued pressure, the looming deadline for those seeking early retirement to avoid public service pension cuts is November 28.
It is unclear how many Kildare gardai are eligible or how many will take up the opportunity.
With 1,500 gardai expected to take early retirement nationally, it is unlikely they will be replaced. There is currently an embargo on garda recruitment and a ban on promotions to sergeant or inspector due to enforced government cutbacks.
The Department of Justice and Law Reform recently commented; “The Minister is fully satisfied that the Garda Commissioner has sufficient resources to meet current policing demands. However, the situation will kept under review while bearing in mind the economic situation.”
With the pre-Christmas season on the way, house break-ins also tend to increase during this time and homeowners are urged to be vigilant.
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Thursday 23 May 2013
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