BREAK-IN: Are we doing enough to protect communities from crime in rural Ireland?

Rural crime has been an issue for many years, with serious and sometimes violent incidents leaving people to question if communities living in remote areas of Ireland are being properly protected by authorities.

Efforts have been made to address the issue in recent years. The gardaí are running an operation designed to tackle burglaries in winter months, together with public awareness campaigns, while the State also recently increased funding for local text alert schemes.

However, there is concern that targeted campaigns can only go so far, with a lack of dedicated stations and community policing in rural areas leaving communities feeling isolated. For example, community policing levels in Laois-Offaly have dropped dramatically from 44 community gardaí in 2009 to just seven last year.