Councillor renews appeal for more gardaí to be deployed 'on the beat' in Tipperary Town

A councillor has renewed her appeal for more gardaí to be deployed “on the beat” on the streets of Tipperary Town to prevent crime and has  pointed to the sharp rise in property crime in the Tipperary Garda District.

Independent Tipperary Cllr Annemarie Ryan made the  appeal at the latest meeting of Tipperary County Joint Policing Committee in Thurles where she pointed out to Chief Supt Colm O’Sullivan that a previous commitment from the gardaí to increase garda visibility on the streets of the town didn’t materialise.  

She pointed to the latest crime statistics for county Tipperary which showed that property crimes, namely robberies, burglaries and thefts, increased by 67% in Tipperary Garda District between January 1 and November 30 this year compared to the same 11 months last year with non-aggravated burglaries in the district increasing by 80% during the same period. 

Cllr Ryan suggested that a portion of these burglaries were committed by people looking to pay off drugs debts. 

She said there was a serious problem and more gardaí really need to be seen walking on the beat on the streets of the town. 

Cllr Ryan acknowledged the great work gardaí were doing in the community such as visiting schools but argued that having officers deployed walking the streets helped them to get to know people and for people to get to know them. 

She also argued it would help to stop a lot of the petty crime happening in Tipperary Town. 

“I am pleading, we need the gardaí on the streets. It’s crucial,” she added. 

Chief Supt O’Sullivan told the JPC meeting he would discuss the matter with the Garda superintendent in Tipperary Town.

 “If there was a commitment given, it should be honoured,”  he said. . 

And he agreed that greater visibility of gardaí on the streets was “100%” the way forward. 

“The way I look at it is that if gardaí are visible on the streets, the person who is inclined to commit crime will see it and be deterred. 

“The whole thing about policing is that it’s far better to prevent something occurring than have it occur,” he added.