Crime levels in Clare have declined significantly so far this year.
A meeting of the county’s Joint Policing Committee has heard there have been falls in burglaries, drugs offences and domestic crimes in 2021.
Local Councillors, Oireachtas representatives and community members were told at their quarterly meeting that crimes in Clare between January and August of 2021 are virtually down across the board compared to the same eight months in 2020.
Burglaries have dropped by a third, while theft from shops here is down by 16 percent.
Chief Superintendent Sean Colleran has warned of a spike in thefts from vehicles in the county, a number of which have occurred in unlocked cars.
Instances of sales and supply of drugs are down 20 percent on last year, while possession is down by almost half.
The Chief Superintendent told those at the meeting that the Drugs Division has carried out a number of “significant seizures” so far in 2021.
Offences for driving without insurance in Clare are also down by 40 percent, while driving under the influence of either alcohol or drugs has fallen by a quarter.
While assaults in the county were up very marginally, there’s been a significant drop in domestic disputes.
Breaches of barring or protection orders were down by a third in the first eight months of the year.
While figures here are generally trending downwards, Gardai here are advising members of the public to remain cautious and to continue contacting them when necessary.
