Latest crime figures show a 13% rise in domestic abuse incidents reported to Tipperary gardaí

Public representatives have voiced concern at the continuing rise in domestic abuse incidents reported to gardaí in county Tipperary with the latest crime statistics showing a 13% increase in such cases in the first eleven months of the year.

Chief Superintendent Colm O’Sullivan revealed the 13% increase in domestic abuse incidents reported to gardaí across the county based on reported cases collated from the Garda Pulse system at a meeting of the Tipperary County Joint Policing Committee in Thurles on Friday, December 16.

They range from breaches of barring, protection and safety orders to reports or call outs attended by gardaí where no criminal offence was identified. The offences and incidents were reported to garda stations across the county between January 1 and November 30.

Chief Supt O’Sullivan told the meeting the increase showed that people suffering from domestic abuse were now coming forward more to report incidents to gardaí than previously.

JPC Chairman Cllr Noel Coonan said the continuing rise of domestic abuse incidents reported to the gardaí was a “ huge concern” to the public and he believed there was a lot happening that has never been reported to the gardaí.

Mayor of Clonmel Borough District Cllr Pat English said while gardaí were saying the increase was due to more people coming forward to report domestic abuse incidents, he was nevertheless concerned that the percentage of these incidents has increased in every crime statistics report presented to JPC meetings over the last number of years.

He pointed out there was also a major problem as Cuan Saor Women’s Refuge in Clonmel was full and couldn’t take new clients at the moment.

Clogheen Fine Gael Cllr Marie Murphy asked the Chief Superintendent if the 13% rise in domestic abuse incidents reported to gardaí in the county was in line with the national figures.

She said an increase in domestic abuse cases was expected during the Covid-19 pandemic because more people were at home all the time.

But she was disappointed to see the number of these crimes continuing to increase now there were no longer pandemic restrictions in place.

Chief Supt. O’Sullivan said the county Tipperary domestic abuse case figures were “reasonably in line” with the national figures.

He reiterated that one of the reasons there was an upward trend in the number of cases reported to gardaí was that it’s now more acceptable for people to report these incidents.

He pointed to media campaigns encouraging people to report domestic abuse and sexual harassment.

“It’s through these campaigns and our engagement with the community that people become more aware that it’s okay to report.”

He pointed out that while the rise in reported domestic abuse incidents was worrying, the gardaí have systems in place to deal with domestic violence cases reported to them in conjunction with other agencies dealing with this problem.

Having these systems in place was why more victims of domestic abuse were coming forward and reporting these issues to the gardaí, he explained.

The Chief Superintendent described how domestic abuse incidents were assessed by the superintendent in charge. Victims and their children were taken out of situations and relocated with the assistance of gardaí. In other cases, gardaí called back victims and referred them to agencies that could help them and gave them advice on what type of order they could get made in the family law court to protect their safety.