Shock has been expressed in Clare over the high level of juvenile crime that went unpunished in this country over a seven year period.
An internal Garda report has found that between 2010 and 2017, almost 3,500 youth offenders, who weren’t deemed suitable to enter the Garda Youth Diversion Programme, were not subsequently prosecuted.
The review also states that the “vast majority” of them went on to lead chaotic lives with a history of re-offending.
The latest available figures show there were 625 referrals to the Garda Youth Diversion Scheme in Clare in 2017, but its feared more may have slipped through the cracks.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has described the revelations as a “humiliating professional failure” and former Chair of Clare’s Joint Policing Committee, Sixmilebridge Independent Councillor PJ Ryan, has been telling Clare FM’s Fiona Cahill that he hopes a tough stance is taken:
