Senator Ollie Crowe has called for tougher sentencing following a spate of burglaries in Carnmore and Claregalway over the last two weeks, stating that current sentences are simply not a deterrent.
He said that we have repeat offenders who have been found guilty of burglary on multiple occasions getting out in a couple of years and that these sentences simply do not reflect the seriousness of the crime.
“Having spoken to many people whose homes have been burgled, the impact it has on them is extremely damaging for a long period in many cases. They no longer feel safe in their own homes, especially older people or people living alone.
"It is past time our sentencing laws were updated to reflect this scourge and mandatory minimum sentences are introduced for this crime, so that any offenders found guilty of burglary on a repeat basis are sentenced to a minimum of ten years, without Judges having any discretion to alter this sentence.”
Senator Crowe is also calling for the Loughgeorge and Oranmore garda stations to be opened fully to reflect the increased populations of the areas.
“There has been massive population growth in Claregalway and Oranmore over the past decade. They have been two of the fastest growing areas in the country and we need to introduce resources which matches that population growth.
"Budget 2022 provided funding for 800 additional gardaí and 400 civilian staff. We need additional gardaí to be allocated to Galway so that these stations can be opened up on a full-time basis.
"We know that greater visibility of gardaí is hugely important in deterring crime and this has been visible through Operation Citizen in Dublin in recent months, where greater patrolling significantly reduced crime levels.
"I have written to Commissioner Drew Harris on this and requested he consider this in making garda allocations in the short term and am awaiting his response.”
Homeowners throughout the city and county are encouraged to be vigilant.
