An IFA meeting on rural crime touched a nerve in north Tipperay, where over 100 people turned out to hear Garda advice on how to tackle crime in the countryside.
The chief crime prevention officer in Tipperary, sergeant Tom O'Dwyer implored farmers to mark all their equipment and record the serial numbers of quad bikes and tractors to make recovery easier.
We made a raid on a warehouse in Tipperary and recovered hundreds of items of equipment and we invited members of the public to claim them but were only able to positively identify three items.
He also asked farmers at the meeting in the Abbey Court hotel, to report crime so that the gardaí could co-ordinate their approach and send patrols to rural crime “hot-spots”.
Trespassing
However, one of the biggest fear factors for many farmers is trespassers and there was a collective shaking of heads when the gardaí stated that “intent to commit a crime” would have to be proven before trespassers could be deemed as illegal.
“In relation to the law, there is legislation under the public order act which is trespassing with the intent to cause a crime, but it’s very hard to prove the intent,” sergeant Declan O'Carroll told the crowd.
Hare coursing
The crowd were also told that while hare coursing might be illegal, the hunting of rabbits is not, making it difficult to prove that someone walking on land with a dog was hunting hare and not rabbit.
The frustration of farmers was palpable, with many stating that the law isn’t strong enough to protect the farm community.
“I’ve challenged these lads and they’ve laughed at me,” farmer Conor Slattery said.
“I’ve called the gards and in fairness they’ve come out but the lads come out the next day with their dogs again.”
Another local farmer Clive Clark, gave an account of how rural crime had impacted his life.
“I’ve been the victim of crime six times,” Clive said.
“The last time we had just installed security fencing worth €2,500 and it didn’t make a difference.”
“I’ve learnt that no amount of steel or padlocks will stop these boys.”
“One time we had seven and a half ton tractor parked in front of a shed door and they dragged it out of the way.”
They beat one of our guard dogs to death
“Another time they beat one of our guard dog to death and the other dog had to be put down.”
“There’s 37 keys on my bunch of keys and every one of them fits into a lock, but a lock will only keep an honest person out.”
There was a collective feeling from many in attendance that property was being shipped and sold abroad.
CCTV
CCTV powered by solar panels was also floated as an idea that could help to tackle rural crime.
However, Gardaí explained that while €3m had been put aside by the Department of Justice for a CCTV scheme for rural Ireland, there was an issue with the legislation which meant that the CCTV had be manned by the local authority and not the local garda station.
Concerns
Deputy president of the IFA Richard Kennedy said that he had conveyed farmers’ concerns to the new garda commissioner Drew Harris.
“We have people coming on to property with lurchers and when challenged they won’t leave. They issue threats and intimidate farmers,” Kennedy said.
He insisted that they had to be stopped.
A group of farmers from Macroom had come all the way to the meeting to express their distress.
“There were five people with 14 dogs in the fields around us last Sunday,” farmer Finbarr O'Connell from Macroom said.
“There was a transit van with no tax or insurance driving around behind the gang that were walking across mine and my neighbours land.”
I felt the gardaí were powerless
“We called the gardaí and by the time the transit van came back around the road the gardaí had arrived but they just let the van go – even though we’d reported that it didn’t have any tax or insurance.”
“I felt the gardaí were powerless,” the farmer said.
There was a collective agreement that the gardaí needed more powers to act on rural crime.
“There’s a responsibility on the Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan to do something,” north Tipperary IFA chair Imelda Walsh said.
“We’re all as annoyed as hell in relation to how little is being done and annoyed that all we’re hearing is that the gardaí have their hands tied.
“The government need to remember there is life beyond the Red Cow. Shame on Minister Flanagan.
“The fear and intimidation has to stop, we are not going to be the victims of rural crime,” she concluded to resounding applause.
'One of the lambs was slaughtered in the field, the other four taken away'