Dundalk crime figures show overall decrease on pre Covid levels

At Wednesday’s JPC meeting Supt Charlie Armstrong presented the latest crime figures up to September 2022 with figures tending to show an overall decrease on pre Covid levels.

Thefts from shops saw an increase from 209 up to the same period in 2021 to 281 up to September 2022 while burglaries rose from 64 to 80. The pre Covid figures in 2019 were 314 and 174 respectively. 

Supt Charlie Armstrong commented that the dramatic fall from the 2019 figures was due to additional patrol in the local area and the investigation and prevention of burglary crimes. 

Thefts from persons rose from 3 in the same period last year to 5 this year, while robbery from persons rose from 1 to 11 and robbery from establishments rose from 2 to 4. All saw significant decreases from 2019 levels. The meeting was informed that suspects had been identified in 6 of the 11 robbery from a person offences and some of those suspects are currently before the courts. 

Thefts from shops rose from 209 in the year to September last year to 281 this year. The 2019 figure was 314. 

Thefts from vehicles fell 9 from 48 to 39 which represents a significant decrease from the 2019 figure of 99.  Supt Armstrong commented that many in Dundalk had raised concerns in recent years with this particular category of crime with the result that gardai increased patrols in specific estates at specific times to combat offences. 

Assaults causing harm also rose slightly from 72 to 75 while minor assaults rose significantly from 84 to 111. The respective figures for 2019 were 77 and 116. 

Criminal damage offences saw a steady decline starting at 271 in 2019, 215 in 2021 and decreasing again to 189 in the year to September this year.

Public order offences stand at 222 this year, an increase on the figure of 191 last year but a decrease on the 2019 figure of 254. 

However, drugs offences saw a decrease falling from 60 to 37 while offences for possession for own use fell dramatically from 319 to 179. Drugs offences stood at 43 in 2019 while possession figures stood at 235. In relation to these Supt Armstrong commented that: “This year there has been a large number of operations targeting mid to high level dealers and they are ongoing at the moment.”

There were also 354 section 23 searches and 198 searches under warrant under the misuse of drugs act.

When it comes to road traffic offences, gardai recorded 74 cases of driving while intoxicated and 16 collisions resulting in serious injury; there have also been 3 fatal road traffic collisions so far this year.

There have been 27 sexual offences record in 2022 so far, while the figures for the same period in 2021 stood at 21 and 36 in 2019.