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February 05, 2008

Stagg Calls for Additional Garda Resources to Tackle Serious Crime

 

Deputy Emmett Stagg Deputy Emmet Stagg has called for the provision of additional Garda Resources for Kildare following the release of the Provisional Headline Crime Statistics for the Carlow/Kildare Division for 2007 which show an increase in Serious Crime of 12% in 2007 compared to 2006.

This increase of 12% stated Deputy Stagg compares very unfavourably with a 2% increase Nationally in the same period. Also worryingly the 2007 figure is up 94% on the number of serious crime incidents recorded in 2000.

Some of the key areas where increases and decreases occurred in the Carlow/Kildare Division are as follows:

  • Aggravated Burglary up 78%
  • Theft from Private Motor Vehicles up 11%
  • Burglaries up 8%
  • Theft from shops up 7%
  • Arson up 75%
  • Assault causing harm down 12%
  • Robbery of Establishments down 18%.
  • There was 1 murder in 2006 and 3 in 2007

Deputy Stagg stated that the Gardai in the Carlow/Kildare Division are doing their best but they are seriously undermanned with the worst ratio of Gardai to people in the State at 1 garda for every 558 people. This compares with the Clare Division which has 1 Garda for every 311 people and the Donegal Division with 1 Garda for every 312 people.

If we are to tackle this serious increase in Crime which is against the National Trend then more Gardai must be assigned to our area.

Deputy Stagg concluded that the creation of the New Kildare Garda Division by Summer 2008 and the provision of a 24 hour Garda Station in North Kildare gives us the opportunity to resolve our manpower and infrastructural deficiencies and he insisted that his campaign for the 24 hour station in North Kildare would continue.