Rise in Inishowen crime recorded

Crime in Inishowen rose by 13 per cent between 2018 and 2022, according to data from the Central Statistics Office and An Garda Síochána.

A total of 794 crimes were reported to gardaí here in 2022, a 13 per cent increase compared to the 2018 figure of 702.

Carndonagh Garda station recorded a 48 per cent increase in crimes in the last four years.

The station was listed among the top ten smaller Garda stations to have experienced the largest increase in crime rates between 2018-22, according to an analysis published in the Irish Independent.

The north Inishowen area recorded 214 crimes last year, up from 144 in 2018.

Among the offences were 57 cases of criminal damage/ arson and 47 assaults/threats and 33 offences for public order.

An increase of 22 per cent in criminal activities was recorded in Clonmany and 58 per cent in Muff.

Half of the 54 crimes committed in Muff last year were driving offences and assaults.

Of the 69 recorded offences last year in Clonmany, more than half were for public order or driving offences.

There was a decrease in reported crime in Buncrana, Moville and Burnfoot.

Buncrana’s overall crime reports dropped by one from 311 to 310.

Moville had a small drop of two from 62 to 60 offences between 2018 to 2022.

Burnfoot had the biggest drop in reported crime throughout Inishowen with a 15 per cent decrease.

The most crimes recorded in the border Garda station were for dangerous driving and drug offences.

Buncrana is the biggest town in the peninsula and assaults and public order offences were the most common crimes recorded there, accounting for 157 of the 310 reported.

In east Inishowen, half of the offences committed were assaults, criminal damage or arson.

Drugs offences rise, burglaries fall

Drug detection rose sharply in Inishowen in a five-year period 2017-2022 – offences have doubled in that time.

Detected drug crimes had generally declined over the past decade previous to that, largely due to the disbandment of the Inishowen Garda drugs unit in 2010 amid State cutbacks.

In 2008 there were 136 drugs detections in Inishowen – which fell to 42 in 2017 and 29 in 2016.

However, detections rose to 78 in 2022. There was a dramatic decrease in burglaries last year with only 21 reports of that particular crime in the Inishowen district. In 2017, 64 burglaries were reported here.

More than a quarter of all offences recorded in Inishowen were for public order misdemeanours, including breach of the peace and drunken disorderly behaviour.

Assaults were the next most commonly detected crime in Inishowen in 2022, with 155 reported cases – up from 139 in 2017.

Reports of more serious crimes remain rare with just three robberies (one in Moville and two in Carndonagh) last year.

There were, however, 41 cases of fraud reported in the peninsula.

The safest village in Inishowen is Muff, with just 54 reported crimes in the last year – that’s just one crime per week on average.

Garda strength

There’s a total of 81 members of An Garda Siochana in the Inishowen District. The vast majority of whom are stationed in Buncrana.

Of the five stations, Buncrana has 60 members, and as district headquarters that includes the senior officers of superintendent and inspector.

Six sergeants are also stationed in Buncrana.

Carndonagh Garda Station has 13 garda, under one sergeant, while Moville and Burnfoot have three garda attached to each station.

Muff Garda Station is staffed by two garda and figures for Clonmany were unavailable.