Urgent action needed on rural crime

Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association rural development chairman Seamus Sherlock has called for an urgent review of government strategies designed to combat rural crime.

Mr Sherlock was speaking following the airing of a radio interview with Co Offaly farmer Clive Clarke who has recently been the victim of rural crime for the sixth time.

“Rural crime is an epidemic, people are living in fear of their lives. Now we are hearing that farmers are patrolling the roads at night, armed with loaded shotguns, trying to prevent themselves or their neighbours being targeted by these travelling gangs. We can’t accept that people in rural areas should have to resort to such measures,” Mr Sherlock remarked.

He said “at the very least we need more support for community alert schemes, however, with instances of rural crime on the increase there are other measures that should be urgently considered. We need to look using the army to back up garda resources until a full complement of Gardaí are in place to tackle these gangs.”

Farmers all around the country are petrified in their own homes. It is right that those living in rural Ireland are uniting to protect themselves but the onus should not be on farmers to patrol the roads in an effort to prevent these robberies. These gangs can be very intimidating and I agree with Mr Clarke when he said that it’s only a matter of time until someone gets killed,” Ms Sherlock concluded.

Also reacting to the thefts from Mr Clarke, founding member of Save Our Community John Tully called for a Government grant to help rural communities set up CCTV systems in vulnerable areas.

Mr Tully conceded  there is little chance of rural garda stations re-opening but said the introduction of CCTV systems in rural areas could act as a deterrent.