Property crime in Tipperary in first four months of 2024 up nearly 25% on last year

Burglaries, robberies and theft offences have soared by 24% in county Tipperary in the first four months of this year with Tipperary Town district experiencing the sharpest 69% rise in these crimes, according to the latest Garda figures.

Property crime statistics for Tipperary county presented at Tipperary Joint Policing Committee’s final meeting showed that 631 burglaries, robberies and thefts were reported in the county between January 1 and May 5- compared to 509 over the same four months in 2023.

JPC members were told by Chief Supt. Aileen Magner that property crime figures were back to pre-Covid levels. They plummeted during the Covid pandemic but are now back on a par with 2019 figures though it was pointed out that gardaí in Tipperary have the highest detection rates for these crimes in the region.

The Chief Superintendent for Clare/Tipperary Garda Division said Tipperary Town and Thurles district were particularly hit by property crime offences but there have been exceptional successes in respect of identifying suspects, arresting and charging them.

The Garda Pulse figures show there were 105 property crimes in Tipperary Town District in the first four months of this year compared to 62 during the same period last year, which translates to a 69% increase.

The Cahir/Cashel district and Clonmel district that includes Carrick-on-Suir experienced much smaller increases in these crimes.

There was a 16% rise in Cahir/Cashel district with 81 property crimes reported in the first four months of this year compared to 70 over the same period in 2023.

In Clonmel/Carrick district there was a 12% increase with 203 property crimes reported between January 1 and May 5 compared to 182 in those months last year. It must be noted that the Clonmel/Carrick district had the highest number of these crimes in the whole county.

A breakdown of the burglary figures showed a significant 69% increase in the number of non-aggravated burglaries reported throughout the county in the first four months of this year. A total of 125 burglaries were recorded compared to 74 over the same months last year. In 2019, there were 139 burglaries reported during these months.

Digging deeper into these figures, there was a 83% surge in residential non-aggravated burglaries and 30% rise in non-residential break-ins.

A break-down by district shows the Cahir/Cashel district reported a 77% rise in non-aggravated burglaries while Tipperary Town district reported a 76% rise in these burglaries/

There were 37 such burglaries in Tipperary district compared to 21 in the first four months of 2023 and 23 in Cahir Cashel district compared to 23 last year.

Det. Supt. James Tierney, who is in charge of crime investigations in Tipperary, said there had been a rise in travelling crime gangs committing property crimes in county Tipperary and he credited the motorways running through the county as a factor in attracting them.

Their investigations identified eight different vehicles involved in these burglaries with a number of these vehicles tied to one gang carrying out burglaries in south and north Tipperary and other counties.

“We will be working over the next few weeks to bring them to justice,” he assured JPC members.

He pointed out that Tipperary gardaí have secured the highest number of burglary detections so far this year and were up 60% on last year.

“Burglary is a hugely invasive crime and it's something we put huge effort into,” he stressed.

He pointed out a Divisional Crime Taskforce of three sergeants and 12 gardaí has been set up and it has been hugely pro-active getting to grips with burglary and theft offences in the past few weeks.

The day before the JPC meeting, the taskforce’s members made 10 arrests for burglary and theft offences, five of which were for alcohol theft offences in Carrick-on-Suir.

Det. Supt. Tierney also reported an increase in thefts of Multi-Purpose Vehicles (MPVs) in larger urban areas like Tipperary and Clonmel. Japanese imports vehicles were being particularly targeted, he said.