Huge increase in Garda detections of intoxicated drivers across Tipperary

Gardaí in Tipperary are targeting drug dealers and are heavily focused on detecting intoxicated drivers, with a major spike in detections for drug and drink driving recorded in the last year.

342 Mandatory Intoxicant Checkpoints have been conducted in Tipperary since January of last year and resulted in a 67% increase in detections of people driving under the influence; while incidents of speeding have also risen sharply.

A meeting of the Tipperary Joint Policing Committee (JPC) on Friday heard from top Gardaí, who warned that people need to “look at their behaviour on the road and change”.

Chief Superintendent Derek Smart told the meeting that 872 drivers were caught using a mobile device, while there were 4,504 incidents of speeding detected by Garda personnel (not speed vans) - which amounts to an increase of 28% in speeding crimes.

“People are going to start losing their driving licences soon and hopefully that is all they'll lose”, the Chief Superintendent said. He also discouraged motorists from flashing their lights to warn oncoming traffic about the presence of speed detection vans and checkpoints, which undermines the purpose of road safety measures and doesn't help change people's behaviour on the road.

The Chief Superintendent told the meeting that as pandemic restrictions eased and life returned to normal, crime levels also returned to normal levels.

“What has also driven this increase is the number of thefts from garden sheds and garages increased and theft from shops over the November and December period leading up to Christmas”, he said.

He said a lot of valuable gardening equipment had been taken from sheds at residential properties and that Gardaí had been tracking the movements of a gang involved in these crimes across North Tipperary and Offaly.

Chief Superintendent Derek Smart told the meeting the Gardaí are heavily focusing on the sale and supply of drugs and are having “great results,” with sizeable hauls of controlled substances made by Gardaí across all Districts in Tipperary.

There was a fall in incidents of crimes against the person and assaults; however, a 19% increase was recorded in incidents of domestic abuse investigated by the Gardaí in County Tipperary.

JPC Chairman, Noel Coonan, told the meeting concerns are growing across the county for elderly people residing in rural areas and asked what can be done to make rural communities feel more secure.

The Chief Superintendent said there hasn't been an increase in this type of crime and encouraged anyone concerned to participate in their community Text Alert scheme, which he said he “can't compliment highly enough”.

Councillor Imelda Walsh said many people are weary of young men trespassing on farmland with lurcher dogs - a practice the Chief Superintendent said the Gardaí will investigate when reported. Prosecutions for this type of trespass have commenced in Tipperary, he said.

Cllr. Anne-Marie Ryan told the meeting young people in Tipperary want to see more Gardaí on the beat after the tragic attack on Ashling Murphy in Tullamore.

Chief Superintendent Smart urged anyone who notices anything suspicious to always report it to the Gardaí - “this information can sometimes be invaluable to local Gardaí” he said.