GARDA COMMISSIONER Martin Callinan has asked his chief superintendents around the country to put in place plans to tackle an increase in robberies and thefts from the person.
The move follows the publication of the annual crime figures which revealed thefts from the person increased by 48 per cent last year while robbery, hijacking and extortion offences were up by 28 per cent.
Both increases occurred during a year in which the overall crime rate declined by 5 per cent and drug offences and gun crime were also down.
While welcoming the overall drop in crime, the commissioner said he was concerned at the increases in some categories and had already contacted his senior officers with a view to focusing resources on priority areas.
“We will get to grips with it. The object of the exercise is to protect the community . . . so people feel free to live in a peaceful environment.”
He was speaking to reporters ahead of his meeting at Garda Headquarters, Phoenix Park, Dublin, with PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggott. It was his first meeting with Mr Baggott since taking over as Garda Commissioner in December.
When asked if the policing approach to dissidents had been renewed in light of increased dissident activity, Mr Callinan said: “Very much so. We work hand-in-glove with our colleagues in the PSNI in ensuring we play our part in bringing people responsible [for terrorist activity] to justice.”
While he would discuss cross-Border anti-terrorist operations with Mr Baggott, the Garda and PSNI were also co-operating on other issues such as traffic enforcement and organised crime.
Mr Baggott said he was concerned and saddened that some dissident groups still seemed to have the ability to entice recruits into lives of violence. However, both the PSNI and Garda were determined to relentlessly pursue terrorists. “We have renewed our approach and our capabilities to deal with them. We have a long-term view on how we’re going to tackle this problem.”