“I'm just waiting for our house to be robbed, it's just terrible.”
“I'm just waiting for our house to be robbed, it's just terrible.”
That's the honest view of one of the organisers of a major meeting being held in Cloghan Hall next Tuesday evening to discuss what many see as the growing crime problem in Offaly.
Elizabeth McLoughlin, PRO of Cloghan Community Alert, works alongside her partner Ollie Keane in Cloghan Veterinary Clinic, which was robbed twice in the space of five weeks earlier this year.
Speaking to Offaly Independent this week, Ms McLoughlin said the feeling in Cloghan and neighbouring areas is that more needs to be done to tackle what many see as the region's worsening crime problem.
She also revealed that she recently thwarted a criminal gang from targeting her home, which is located outside the village.
“I came home and there were four lads sitting in a car outside the house, only that I came home at the right time.”
“Our neighbour at the veterinary clinic was robbed as well and on this road [where she lives] there have been quite a lot of robberies as well. It's really gotten out of hand. Every day there seems to be two or three break ins.”
Cloghan Community Alert have invited community alert groups from the wider locality including Belmont, Shannonbridge, Ferbane, Lusmagh, Banagher, Pullough and Ballinahown, while members of the public are also welcomed to attend.
Representatives from the Garda Siochana will speak at the event and elected representatives have also been invited. The organisers hope that in the region of 500 people will attend the meeting, which starts at 8pm on Tuesday evening, October 24.
While the feeling on the ground is that burglaries and other crimes are on the rise in Offaly, this is not the case according to Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan.
Speaking in the Dail after Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy asked if he is "satisfied with the complement of Gardaí across the Laois/Offaly Garda division...in light of the number of burglaries recently in Ireland", Minister Flanagan said that, according to recent figures from the Central Statistics Office, there has been a significant decline in the number of burglaries in the Laois Offaly Division.
"The CSO official recorded crime statistics for Q4 of 2016 show a 30% decrease in burglary for the twelve months of 2016 when compared to the same period in 2015 - which parallels the implementation of Operation Thor. Furthermore, you will note that in relation to burglaries, the decrease in the Laois/Offaly Division for this period is 7% higher than the national average with a decrease in burglary of 37%. I want to compliment the Gardaí in Laois/Offaly on this success," he said.