GUN CRIME in Limerick so far this year has dropped by almost two-thirds since 2007, according to the city’s most senior garda.
Speaking at a meeting of Limerick’s joint policing committee, Chief Supt Gerry Mahon revealed that the number of incidents involving the discharge of firearms was down from an “all-time high” of 104 incidents two years ago to 27 so far this year.
Chief Supt Mahon also revealed that overall crime in the Limerick Garda division had declined by 15 per cent compared to last year.
His revelations follow a week where two serious incidents occurred in the city: one involving the discovery of a pipe bomb in the St Mary’s Park housing estate and the other a shooting in Southill, in which a 27-year-old man was critically injured. Two people are in custody charged in connection with these incidents.
He moved to reassure city councillors at the meeting that despite the events of recent days, gardaí in Limerick were continuing to make progress in their campaign against crime in the region.
The armed regional response unit had been maintaining an active presence on the streets, and while the “level of threat increases and abates”, the battle went on every day, said the chief superintendent.
“Some of our major gangland figures are in custody at the moment. In fact some of the most active ones are in prison but that doesn’t mean this is something that you can rest on,” he said.
He also addressed concerns expressed by Labour TD Jan O’Sullivan that progress made by gardaí would be undermined by the recent retirement of a number of experienced members of the force.
“I can assure the city and the public out there we have people of equal calibre and knowledge, especially knowledge of the city and the criminal elements at work in Limerick, ready, willing and able to take their places,” he said.
“Even though we are losing and potentially going to lose a lot of experienced people, there are other people out there with the skill, knowledge and commitment,” he continued.
According to Chief Supt Mahon the number of gardaí based in Limerick was “greater than ever” and the 100 extra personnel assigned as a result of the issues that led to the Limerick regeneration project were “intact and out there”.
He also insisted that the Garda Commissioner was committed to maintaining numbers in the Limerick region.
The meeting heard that there were a number of Cab profilers based in Limerick who were in contact with their counterparts in Dublin on a daily basis.
Meanwhile, incidents of assaults, harassments and criminal damage in Limerick have all shown declines on last year’s figures, while drug detections are up, according to the latest statistics.