*Daniel O’Connell Monument.
ENNIS has recorded a “massive increase” in the amount of thefts from shops in the county town.
Crime is rising in Ennis, data from the town’s Superintendent has confirmed. Supt John Ryan addressed a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District and gave a presentation on the comparison of crime in Ennis in the current day versus 2019 figures.
Up until the end of September, 24 cases of assault had been reported, an increase of seven compared with 2019.
Less instances of assault causing harm have been recorded, down from 15 in 2019 to 12 in 2023. “For some of those you may have seen footage on our main streets, all of them incidents have people before the Courts,” he confirmed.
Thefts from moving or parked vehicles has experienced “a significant decrease” as it is down by 40.
Counteracting that, “a massive increase” is visible with theft from shops rising from 191 in 2019 to 371 in 2023. “We have tried to create an early charge process where we’re seeing continuous behaviour of shop lifting or anti-social behaviour, we have reduced numbers so we’re expecting a lot more from a lot less people”.
Work is ongoing on detection from interviewing people and examining areas such as the town centre and housing estates, he outlined. “There is a lot of work we can do with businesses to protect their product or area, if we have CCTV we will get products from it, people are still coming in with face coverings which is making it difficult”.
For domestic incidents, Gardaí are “obliged” to do call backs, Supt Ryan explained. For public order incidents, there were 227 in 2019 and 171 for 2023 so far.
Supply of drugs has also recorded a “significant increase,” he said. 99 motorists within the Ennis environs were detected as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in 2019 whereas the figure is at 50 so far in 2023 which is “still a high figure,” he acknowledged.
