THERE has been a marked increase in property crime, burglaries, theft from shops and theft from vehicles in the Cork West Division, according to the latest stats from gardaí.
At last week’s meeting of the Cork County Joint Policing Committee (JPC), Supt Michael Corbett presented the crime and traffic statistics from January to December 2023.
Incidents of property crime in the Cork West Division were up by 73 from 443 in 2022 to 516 incidents in 2023.
In fact all three garda divisions – Cork City and Cork North – showed marked increases in this category.
The Cork West Division has also seen increases in burglary ( not aggravated from 66 reports to 74, theft or unauthorised taking of vehicle from 19 reports to 28, interfering with vehicle from 10 incidents in 2022 to 12 for 2023.
Theft from shops also increased from 145 in 2022 to 163 in 2023, while thefts from vehicles also showed increases from 24 in 2022 to 63 for 2003. In fact, burglaries were up significantly across all three garda divisions.
Supt Corbett also said that assaults causing harm were up 12 from 60 in 2022 to 72 last year in the Cork West Division, while there was a decrease in minor assaults from 253 to 232.
Criminal damage in Cork West also saw an increase from 191 in 2022 to 205 in 2023, while drunkenness offences also saw an increase from 122 to 140. Criminal damage was also up from 191 in 2022 to 205 in 2023.
There was a decrease in the numbers of motorists driving while intoxicated in Cork West with 165 recorded in 2023, compared to 177 in 2022.
The number of fatal traffic collisions in Cork West were down from 11 in 2022 to five in 2023, while traffic collisions with non-serious injury were up from 122 in 2022 to 192 in 2023.
Danny Crowley of Youthreach in Bantry queried about the noted increase in traffic collisions (material damage only) which showed a marked increase from 1,111 in 2022 to 3,536.
Supt Corbett acknowledged that there was a substantial jump in these in Cork West but noted that there are no injuries in these.
These would be minor collisions which would happen in car parks or someone bumping into another car while pulling out of a car park space.
Meanwhile, the numbers caught in possession of drugs for personal use were up from 178 in 2022 to 186 in 2023, while those in possession for sale or supply were down from 72 to 58 for the same period.
