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Man describes son being punched in the face during home invasion

A new UTV Ireland documentary takes a look at rural crime around the country.

THE PAST FEW years have seen a surge in crime targeting people in rural areas.

These have been typified by violent intrusions from gangs of criminals then using high-speed vehicles to escape on Ireland’s motorway network.

One of the most high-profile incidents was the attack on the Corcoran family in November 2013 when seven men broke in and assaulted the family in their home – an action that resulted in the gang receiving a combined 72 years in prison last month.

Video TheJournal.ie / YouTube

This evening UTV Ireland will be screening a special report as part of its ‘Insight’ documentary series and will look at how this type of crime has become prevalent across the country.

Who is being affected by these crimes?

Speaking on the programme, Gerry Garvey from Pallasgreen in Co Limerick describes the home invasion he and his family were subject to.

“We were faced with a couple of intruders bursting in through the door, fully masked, one with a sawn-off shotgun. My daughter was tied up, I was put face down on the ground, handcuffed behind my back and a sawn-off shotgun shoved into my temple,” he said.

My son who had run upstairs, one of the guys caught him just as he was getting into the bathroom and he got a belt into the jaw, so he was assaulted. That’s not something he forgets too easily.

Lack of numbers

Also speaking on the programme, Tipperary-based garda and GRA representative Tom Finnan speaks about how a depletion in personnel numbers has badly impacted on the ability of gardaí to combat these types of incidents.

Video TheJournal.ie / YouTube

“Old people, people living alone, are vulnerable in their homes due to us not having the full resources that we need. Station closures shouldn’t have been happening when they did happen,” he said.

Since 2008 there has been a heavy drop off in the number of gardaí stationed around the country.

Earlier this year, the number of active gardaí dropped below 11,000 for the first time since 2006. This trend may be on the turn however, with 99 new gardaí graduates being assigned to stations around the country in July. 

Read: “It’s bandit country now” – Padraig Nally says rural crime is getting worse

Also: ‘They’re just broken’: The reality of border policing in a depleted force

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18 Comments
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    Mute ThomasFrancisMeagher
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    May 5th 2013, 12:39 PM

    The rise of Islamophobia & the re-emergence of Anti-Semitism in Europe is very sad to see. Fear through ignorance is the cause of all types of racism. People fear what/who they don’t know & understand.

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    Mute Genius
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    May 5th 2013, 1:08 PM

    Well you assume all who are sceptic of promoters of jehad and indiscriminate killing of women and children in the west bank are ignorant and racist,That in itself is a stereo typing.I would suggest that a total sense of apathy is not the answer as you suggest.

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    Mute Buckwheat MacMillan
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    May 5th 2013, 1:11 PM

    Global Jihad is nothing at all to be concerned about.

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    Mute Conor Murphy
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    May 5th 2013, 6:21 PM

    @Genius

    There is a difference between Islamaphobia and critiquing islam. Europe undeniably has a huge problem with Islamaphobia.

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    Mute Genius
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    May 5th 2013, 6:52 PM

    @Conor Murphy
    Can you have a guess as to why that might be,Its not a totally unfounded irrational fear.

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    Mute Jason Bourne
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    May 5th 2013, 6:55 PM

    Straight in therw again Thomas!!!!! How do you do it. Its like you are getting paid to watch these articles online. Oh wait……. a go, collect that 2grand. Fair play. Easy money if you can get it

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    Mute Chris
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    May 5th 2013, 12:41 PM

    And we all thought Germany left that behind them and they then call the shots in the rest of Europe shame on them

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    Mute snooch
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    May 5th 2013, 12:48 PM

    129 people in one of the largest states in Europe. Thats like trying to make out what the staff in one tesco store do is what the entire Irish nation do. Backwards blind Germany bashing will most likely be par for course on this article.

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    Mute Anne De Croix
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    May 5th 2013, 3:26 PM

    Ah, where’s my comment gone!

    Like racism in much of the west, pro nazi sentiment is alive and well in modern Germany according to some Germans I met recently.

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    Mute Sean Browne
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    May 5th 2013, 1:44 PM

    Where is the tesco store I’m going to lidl from now on

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    Mute Mark Gaynor
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    May 5th 2013, 7:44 PM

    Now I know why I can’t get a good bagel or falafal in Germany!

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