Garda searches fall by a third in Tipperary but intoxicant testing checkpoints rise by 38%

The number of searches carried out by gardaí in county Tipperary fell by a third last year, which resulted in fewer people being caught in possession of drugs and weapons, according to the latest crime figures.

The number of searches fell by 33% as garda resources were redeployed to other areas of crime detection due to the ending of Covid-19 restrictions around the country last year.

Pro-active policing measures like searches increased when Covid travel and other restrictions were in place as crime levels in many areas dropped significantly.

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Chief Supt. Colm O’Sullivan reported to the Tipperary County Joint Policing Committee’s latest meeting that the number of people caught in possession of drugs for personal use dropped by 35% between January 1 and November last year compared to the same period in 2021. This translates to 349 people found in possession of small quantities of drugs in the first 11 months of 2022 compared to 540 in 2021.

The fall in the number of people caught in possession of quantities of drugs large enough for sale or supply to others was less dramatic.

The crime figures collated from the Garda Pulse system show there was a 14% drop in these detections with 105 people detected for this offence in the county in the first 11 months of 2022 compared to 122 over the same period last year.

Meanwhile, the number of people found in possession of weapons around the county fell by 19% between January 1 and November 30 last year compared to the same months in 2021.

This translates to 57 detections for this offence last year compared to 70 the previous year.

Chief Supt. O’Sullivan pointed out that while the number of garda searches decreased last year there was a significant 38% increase in the number of Mandatory Intoxicant Testing checkpoints across the county.

There were 3,421 such checkpoints between January 1 and November 30 2022 compared to 2,478 in 2021.

He said these checkpoints have the function of combating the incidence of drink and drug driving but they also allow gardaí to see who is coming into an area such as travelling criminals.

The higher public visibility these checkpoints afforded the gardaí had a knock-on effect, he argued.

When there was an increase in garda activity in one area, it meant there was a decrease elsewhere but it was his experience that they generally balance each other out.