Garda anti-burglary surveillance policy to be introduced across State

GARDA COMMISSIONER Martin Callinan has revealed a national anti-burglary policy is being rolled out to combat recent increases in the crime, under which gangs who travel widely to carry out their crimes are being put under close surveillance.

The commissioner yesterday outlined the plan when he attended the Garda Representative Association annual conference in Athlone, Co Westmeath.

When asked for his views on two recent cases in Longford and north Co Dublin where suspected burglars had been shot and wounded by homeowners, he said such cases were regrettable.

“Our job in An Garda Síochána is to try and prevent the crime happening in the first instance. It would be unsafe and unreasonable to go beyond that in the context of what we have seen just recently. There is legislation there so let’s see how that pans out. My job as commissioner is to try and ensure that we catch these people committing the crime.”

The Irish Times understands that under the Garda’s new anti-burglary operation, Operation Fiacla, lists of suspected burglary gangs have been drawn up in the regions and in the Garda’s Dublin divisions. Those on the lists are being closely monitored by Garda specialist units.

Armed Garda checkpoints are also being set up at night to stop cars and question the occupants about their movements with a view to apprehending those engaged in “burglary tourism”.

While burglaries rose by 8 per cent nationally last year, in some Garda divisions around Dublin, including Meath and Kildare, the trend was as much as 40 per cent higher in 2011 compared with the previous year.

The regional breakdown was first revealed by The Irish Times last week.

Minister for Justice Alan Shatter, whose house in south Dublin was burgled in recent weeks, and senior Garda members have become concerned at the level of media attention being focused on burglaries, particularly at a time when virtually every other crime type has been falling for the past three years.

The increase in burglaries is also believed to increase the fear of crime among the public because of the randomness of the crime.

The new Operation Fiacla is being manned by members of divisional Garda teams, all co-ordinated by Assistant Commissioner Derek Byrne, who is in charge of national support services.

Gardaí believe some gangs are proving very prolific and are carrying out dozens of burglaries in periods of a couple of months in the counties where they live and immediately adjacent areas. Already under Operation Fiacla, two men suspected of being involved in between 20 and 30 recent burglaries in the northwest have been arrested and taken into custody.

Those prolific gangs have now been identified on a centralised database from which the new operation will be planned. Daily meetings will be held by officers around the country to assess if intelligence gathered during surveillance and evidence found during search operations is sufficient to arrest and charge suspects.

The effectiveness of the new operation in reducing burglaries in blackspot areas will be closely monitored in order that resources can be concentrated in those areas with a continuing acute burglary problem and on those gangs that prove adept at evading the Garda.

The night-time checkpoints will be manned by the armed regional support unit members, an indication that some of the burglary gangs are regarded as dangerous criminals who may engage in violence with gardaí if stopped at a checkpoint carrying weapons or valuable stolen property.