Worrying rise in domestic abuse incidents in Limerick

REPORTED INCIDENTS of domestic abuse in Limerick have gone up 27% since 2019, according to new figures.

At the recent meeting of the Joint Policing Committee, Chief Superintendent Gerard Roche said there has been an "alarming increase" in incidents involving harm to others in the district.

Incidents related to domestic abuse incidents include breach of barring, safety or protection orders and domestic disputes.

Denise Dunne, Director of Services for Adapt said the organisation had received 47 referrals from gardaí in August alone relating to domestic violence incidents.

Ms Dunne said the increase in incidents had been a common trend across the country and the psychological effects of the pandemic are yet to be made apparent.

For comparison reasons, the figures for crime statistics so far this year are compared to pre-covid figures in 2019.

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In 2022 so far, crimes against another person have gone up 31%, from 581 reported incidents to 763.

Detection of such incidents, which include murder, threat to kill, assaults, harassment, child abandonment, neglect or abuse, has gone up 6%.

Overall assaults have risen by 55%, from 394 in 2019 to 612 so far this year. Chief Superintendent Roche said a number of these reports were not taken any further as those involved decided not to pursue them.

Minor assaults have increased by 66% in the division while assaults causing harm have risen by 30%.

Maurice Quinlivan TD said he would encourage anyone who had been involved in such incidents to report them to gardaí.

Property crime is up 55% from 1824 reports in 2019 to 2824 in 2022 so far, these include robberies and burglary.

The use of drugs for sale and supply has gone up by 34% while the discovery of drugs for personal use has gone down 52%.