Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, for being in attendance for this debate on the important issue of rural crime. A public meeting was held last night in County Offaly to highlight an issue that has become an epidemic nationwide, unfortunately. I will give two small examples from my constituency. In recent months, there have been eight break-ins at people's homes across an area from Clones, County Monaghan to Mountain Lodge, County Cavan. These crimes happened in broad daylight, generally between early morning and lunchtime. The last of the break-ins in question affected the McGinn family. Luckily, the children were at school when this happened. This young couple had left their house earlier that day to go somewhere. When they came back at lunchtime, they found three men - criminals - ransacking their home. They arrived at the back door to find a man standing there with a hurley stick, ready to attack whoever got in his way.

Again in the Cootehill area, the home of a couple in their early 70s was one of 16 homes and businesses that were broken into in the past number of weeks. Criminality is on the rise. That particular couple had to barricade their farm machinery and equipment and almost barricade themselves into their home and farmyard. On three occasions during the past couple of weeks, that one farmyard and house was broken into, with attempted robbery on one occasion while equipment was stolen on two occasions. A total of 16 homes and businesses within an eight-mile radius of Cootehill were affected.

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport has just left the House. He was lucky enough to get Stepaside Garda station reopened. The Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht represents this constituency and Cootehill is her home base. Cootehill Garda station has restricted opening hours. It is not a 24-hour station. It borders Cavan and Monaghan. Given the statistics I am providing, which are factual, we need that station to be open on a 24-hour basis. Garda resources are starved in this area and we need them to be replenished.

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