Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)

Like Deputy Ferris, I attended a meeting of residents, mostly from the townlands of Caherconnell, Caherhayes, Caherleen and Meenkilla, at the Fr. Casey's GAA club in Abbeyfeale yesterday evening. The residents expressed serious concern about the increasing level of crime in their community. Over the past eight months or so, 47 incidents emanating from this community have been reported to the Garda in Abbeyfeale. This spiralling wave of crime has coincided with the arrival of a family from another part of Limerick to the area. Prior to this family taking up residence in Caherconnell, there were very few if any incidents recorded for this neighbourhood. In the Abbeyfeale Garda district, headline crime has increased from approximately 70 incidents to 120 or almost 60% over the past year.

It was obvious that the people who were at the meeting are living in fear and are terrorised by the activity of this family. Many people either purchased or built houses in the area because of its tranquillity and picturesque and idyllic landscape. They saw it as an ideal and safe environment in which to raise their children with Meenkilla national school in the heart of the community. There are a number of elderly people living on their own in the area. They are prisoners in their own homes and are afraid to even open the door or leave their homes for any length of time in case that they would be burgled or, as happened recently, subject to arson attacks. Two houses and two cars have been subjected to such attacks in recent times.

The residents are most complimentary of the local gardaí in Abbeyfeale, who have been responsive at all times to callouts. However, they simply do not have enough manpower to police their area, never mind deal with this particular problem. The Abbeyfeale district has lost five permanent gardaí over the past year. Four gardaí in Abbeyfeale have retired and have not been permanently replaced, as has one in Tournafulla. Extra manpower has been provided on occasions, but this is not the same as having a permanent presence to monitor and police the perpetrators of this reign of terror on decent law-abiding people.

I am appealing to the Minister to fill these vacancies immediately so that order can be restored in this community and that people can live in peace and be afforded the protection they deserve from this family. I feel that the Criminal Assets Bureau, the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the Department of Education and Science have a role to play in ensuring that the law of the land is enforced in this case. Unless this problem is faced up to and resolved, other communities in west Limerick and north Kerry will be similarly affected.

There was complete agreement at the meeting between residents, politicians and the local superintendent that this problem must be faced up to now and cannot be allowed to escalate.

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