Vol. 499 No. 5
24 Mr. Farrelly asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of robber ies and break-ins reported in County Meath for each month up to and until 1 January 1999; the number solved; the estimated value of goods and so on stolen; the action, if any, he will put in place to alleviate the fear of people concerned in relation to this problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2510/99]
I am informed by the Garda authorities that crime statistics are compiled on the basis of Garda operational areas, which do not always coincide with county boundaries. For this reason it is not possible to give a separate figure for County Meath, and I can therefore refer only to the Louth-Meath division.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that according to provisional crime figures for 1998, 58 robberies were recorded in the Louth-Meath division. This represents a decrease of 21 per cent from the previous year and 26 of these robberies, 45 per cent, are recorded as having been detected. The value of property stolen in these robberies is estimated to be in the region of £80,000.
I also understand that over the same period, 1,847 burglaries were recorded in the division which represents a decrease of 2 per cent over 1997. A total of 591, or 32 per cent, of these burglaries have so far been detected. The value of property taken in these burglaries is estimated to be approximately £2,000,000.
I should emphasise that these are the provisional crime figures for 1998, and subject to change as Garda investigations progress. The Annual Garda Report on Crime for 1998 will contain the final figures when it is published later in the year.
