Thomas Flynn was jailed for 12 years with three suspended at Clonmel Circuit court for breaking into a house Picture: Liam Burke/Press 22
THERE is no rural crime epidemic. There is no rural crime wave, sweeping across the country, driven by marauding thugs whose stock-in-trade is terror. These statements may, to some, appear self-evident, but to anybody engaging with the media over the last few months, they need to be spelt out in plain English.
The impression conveyed by vested interests is that rural Ireland is going through an epidemic of burglaries, most of which are perpetrated by recidivist thieves terrorising home and farm owners. This is simply not the case.
There is certainly a huge amount of fear about crime across rural Ireland, but the basis for that fear is questionable. There is also a specific problem with burglaries, particularly of commercial and farm premises, in midland counties easily accessible by the motorway network.
This problem has grown in recent years. For example, burglaries in Co Offaly have increased by 67% in the last five years. The recent public meeting in Thurles, Co Tipperary, which attracted a huge attendance and where much anger and testimony was vented, illustrated the high incidence of burglary from farms in particular.
That meeting followed the criminal conviction of a vicious gang who terrorised the Corcoran family in Tipperary two years ago. The family had been subjected to a terrifying ordeal, and the gang members received lengthy sentences. The family were extremely traumatised by what was a life-altering event, but the incident was highly unusual.
In August, John O’Donoghue of Doon, Co Limerick died of a heart attack after discovering his house had been burgled. This was an extremely tragic incident and generated much anger. Again, however, it was not indicative of any trend.
The crime statistics from the CSO show that while burglary increased in the last five years — as would be expected in a recession — by 20%, four fifths of that increase occurred in the greater Dublin area. Outside the midland counties, with a few exceptions, there has been a relatively small increase in rural Ireland.
Any violation of one’s home is traumatic. Even when, as is the vast majority of cases, the thieves have come and gone before the crime is discovered. But those who live in Dublin, Cork and the other cities are far more likely to be targeted.
Human stories naturally have a huge impact on the public consciousness, and those that came to the fore in recent months understandably generated much sympathy and anger.
What resulted was a campaign by elements of the media, ably assisted by garda representative bodies fighting for more resources. This led to a response from Government, which culminated in last Monday’s announcement of Operation Thor by Frances Fitzgerald.
Operation Thor, which includes deploying high-powered vehicles, motorway patrols, and tackling the sale of stolen goods, is designed to tackle the specific issue affecting the midlands. Time will tell whether it is an appropriate response.
That is the positive outcome. The negative outcome is the campaign has generated huge fear. Up and down the country rural dwellers, many elderly or vulnerable, have slept with a lot less ease in recent weeks and months.
The only organisation to broach the possibility that things have been blown out of all proportion is Muintir Na Tire, the group which set up the community alert scheme 30 years ago. Appearing before the Oireachtas Justice committee on Wednesday, they referenced the possibility that crime can be “overhyped”.
“The fear of crime can be almost as harmful as the actual effects of crime,” the group said in a statement.
Generating unwarranted fear is a major outcome from all the hype, but it is not the only one. Kicking up fear and anger about crime also provides an easily digestible distraction from the really serious issues blighting rural Ireland.
Rural Ireland is in long term decline principally due to economic forces. The change is not unique to this country, but is felt keener here because of history, culture and the higher proportion of people who still live outside cities and towns.
This decline was masked for at least 15 years, firstly by the construction boom, and then by a recession . In a political culture that caters only for the short term, precious little was done through policy to tackle the transforming landscape.
During recent years the Government’s concentration on righting the economy relegated normal governing matters such as formulating a long-term vision for rural Ireland. Instead, we’ve had the piecemeal withdrawal of services, political knee-jerk reactions and the setting up of a task force to find out what’s wrong. In the great tradition of these things the findings of the Commission for Economic Development of Rural Areas has received a lukewarm response.
So, as the night of recession lifts, a cold dawn is emerging in rural Ireland. There is a general feeling of abandonment in many areas, rooted in the belief that the State is pulling out, retreating into the major towns and cities.
The outcry over the closure of garda stations is symptomatic of the prevailing sentiment. It’s difficult to sustain the claim the closures have any impact on rural crime. On one hand we’re told that organised gangs of thieves are behind burglaries, yet on the other we are to believe that they were heretofore put off by the presence of a single garda in a rural station for a few hours each afternoon.
For many the significance of the closures lies not in anything to do with crime, but the psychological impact of the latest example of the state’s withdrawal. One more service gone, the shutters pulled down on one more vestige of a kinder, gentler time. One more reason to fear the future.
Across rural Ireland there are many individuals and organisations focused on tackling the problems of economic decline but a national policy is required. That will be difficult, messy, and will require difficult decisions to be made in the short term in order to secure some security over the longer term. But that needs to be the focus if Rural Ireland is to have a future.
The alternative, retreating into victimhood, or hyping simple issues like crime, may temporarily satisfy frustration, but does little to address the real problems.
A few years back, we were told by other vested interests that the abandonment of rural Ireland was exemplified by changes in drink driving and fox hunting laws. This was spurious nonsense. This time around, it looks like the recent campaign will ensure that rural crime is a major election issue.
If so, the main event is being missed. Rural Ireland has far bigger fish to fry. An organised and sustained concentration on arresting economic decline is what should be to the fore of any group which purports to represent the interests of rural Ireland.
Michael Clifford
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