Limerick gardai confirm details of policing plan for Rathkeale this Christmas

GARDAI have confirmed a dedicated policing plan for Rathkeale will get underway in the coming weeks as the Traveller population of the town is expected to increase significantly over the Christmas and new year period.

While the precise details have not been disclosed for operational reasons, Inspector Pat Brennan says a budget for the plan has been agreed and approved following discussions with senior garda management at a regional and local level.

"Contrary to a lot of rumours that were going around that the budget was cancelled for the Rathkeale operation, that's not the case," he told a meeting of the Adare/Rathkeale Joint Policing Committee.

"The budget was assessed and we fought brilliantly for it and we got it so the operation is back on track and it will start in the next week or two and it will continue until the end of January," he added.

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Under the operation, which will be led by Sergeant Paul Bentley, there will be a number of days of action and additional gardai will be deployed in the town each day on an overtime basis.

Specialist units, including the Roads Policing Unit, the Drugs Unit and the Armed Support Unit, will also be available if required during the operation which has been running each year since 2010.

However, briefing elected representatives, Insp Brennan, who is the acting superintendent for the County Limerick Community Engagement Area, said there have been no significant issued in Rathkeale around Christmas for a number of years.

"People will tell you that Rathkeale goes crazy at Christmas, it's a mad place to be but the figures don't tell us that," he said.

Between November 1, 2021 and January 31, 2022 there were 13 reported assaults in Rathkeale, four of which were serious. There was one reported burglary, five thefts from shops, eight criminal damage and 14 incidents of domestic violence. 

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Additionally, there were a number of road traffic offences, including five for drink-driving, two for drug-driving, two for dangerous driving and four detections for driving without insurance.

The figures are "not very alarming" he commented acknowledging that there may have been other offences which were not reported or recorded.

"The message I would like to get out is 'if a crime is happening and you see it happening you need to reported it'. We need the figures to stack up so we can keep going back to look for extra resources and extra money," he said.

Confirmation that a dedicated plan will be in place in Rathkeale over the Christmas and new year period was welcomed by councillors and it was also noted that other agencies, including the HSE and the local authority will also be supporting the plan by providing additional resources and personnel when required.