30 burglaries reported in county since start of year

Over 30 burglaries have been reported to Meath gardaí since the beginning of the year.

While the number is high, burglars in Trim and Ashbourne have entered estates and targeted a number of houses in close proximity and in quick succession before moving on.

The Trim burglaries, which occurred on Saturday 10th January, saw a gang force windows and doors open with the aim of stealing cash and jewellery.

The spate of burglaries in the Trim area was then followed by a burglary in the Cherry Valley estate in Rathmolyon village. A blue 2000 Dublin-registered Mazda Demio car with three people on board was suspected of being involved in the break-ins.

According to Meath crime prevention officer, Sgt Dean Kerins, a number of Ashbourne burglaries were also perpetrated by night-time criminals using fishing poles and magnets to capture car keys through letterboxes.

On Monday 12th January, meanwhile, gardaí in Ashbourne arrested two men in the Foxlodge estate following a call from a member of the public. Shortly after 1am, gardaí were notified of two men acting suspiciously and entering a number of houses. A search of the estate was subsequently carried out, and gardaí arrested two suspects. Both men were taken to Ashbourne Garda Station and later were charged with possession of house-breaking implements.

According to Sgt Kerins, there are different types of burglars but they all have the same motive - 'to steal what they can'. He added that the public can play a key role in reducing crime by reporting suspicious activity and using the Text Alert system to frustrate burglars' efforts.

Sgt Kerins also noted that the re-establishment of the Joint Policing Committee (JPC) structure would be a helpful move, which is currently being discussed by councillors at Meath County Council.

According to Cllr Noel French, Neighbourhood Watch is in operation in a number of estates and could be utilised more throughout the county. The big issue, however, is the lack of a JPC structure since the policing committees were disbanded following the abolition of the town council structure in 2014.

'I am looking for JPCs to be established in each municipal area, as this would provide an opportunity for community representatives and public representatives to talk directly to gardaí and vice versa,' he said. 'I'm disappointed that a JPC hasn't yet been established. It did take time to set them up before but they were helpful, particularly from the point of view of sharing information and relaying concerns.'

According to Cllr French, there is no vehicle at present for the exchange of such information and a county-wide proposal - which is currently under consideration - is 'crazy' as it would not be in a position to devote the same amount of time to local issues as a smaller, more localised JPC, he claimed.

'A county-wide solution would be too big as it would include 15 councillors, five TDs and a number of public representatives,' he said. 'That is too large to discuss local issues and they will get lost among so many different people.'

Cllr French believes that a model based on the Trim JPC, which had 15 members in all with a regular attendance of 10-12 people, would be a more effective option. In the meantime, he advised people to take all the necessary precautions and remain vigilant against crime in their local area.

The overall number of burglaries in 2014 throughout Meath was down on the 2013 figures.