‘People must report incidents to garda’ - warns Limerick Superintendent

REPORTS of anti-social behaviour in Abbeyfeale are not coming through to the Gardai, Superintendent Aileen Magner told local councillors at this month’s meeting of the Joint Policing Committee. “It doesn’t mean it isn’t taking place, but we are not getting reports,” she said.

Garda figures show assaults causing harm had halved and minor assaults were down by two-thirds in the town, she said. She estimated the number of public order incidents at about two per month. There were gardai on the beat in the town park and other areas she said but stressed: “If we don’t know about it. We can’t deal with it. The guards need to be called. They need to be called by the people who are the victims of this anti-social behaviour, we can dispatch in a timely manner.”

But Cllr Liam Galvin said that “people are afraid to report because of intimidation”. “It is only a handful of families,” he said. “People are afraid of their lives.”

And while he acknowledged the benefits of CCTV he said: “They know where the cameras are and where the cameras aren’t.”

Citing recent incidents that had taken place in the town, he called again for a dedicated squad car to be in the town at weekends. It was not acceptable to go from having two patrol cars in the town at weekends to none, he said.

“There must be evidence. We can’t go on stories,” Supt Magner said. “We have young people who hang around. Are they committing serious crime other than being young people?”

But a dedicated patrol consistently in the town would not be possible, she said. People in the areas around deserve the same service, she pointed out.

An extra garda was now attached to the Abbeyfeale garda station, but there would be no extension of official opening hours, she said. However, she added, when members are in the office or doing paperwork the station is open.