Crime rates plummet during pandemic

The number of crimes committed locally fell dramatically last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to provisional Garda statistics for 2020, Covid-19 had a major impact on criminal activity in the Westmeath Division last year with crime rates down across all categories from drugs to drink driving. However, there was an increase in the number of domestic violence incidents and drug driving detections.

The number of reported burglaries in the county fell from 306 in 2019 to 145 in 2020, a drop of 53%. In the Mullingar District, there were 73 reported burglaries compared to 168 in 2019, a decrease of 57%, while in the Athlone District the number of burglaries fell from 138 in 2019 to 72 last year, a drop of 48%.

There was a 27 per cent decrease in property crime last year countywide; down from 1125 reported incidents in 2019 to 826.

With people instructed to remain at home for the majority of the year, it is unsurprising that the number of thefts from vehicles fell from 162 in 2019 to 76, a 53% decrease.

There were 38 vehicles stolen last year in Westmeath, a 60 per cent decrease on 2019, when the total was 96. In the Mullingar District, the number of vehicles thefts fell from 73 in 2019 to 24 last year, a decrease of 67%; while in Athlone there were only 14 reported car thefts last year, down from 23 in 2019 (-39%).

The was a 29 per cent drop in the number of shoplifting incidents reported to Westmeath gardai last year, down from 533 in 2019 to 379 last year.

In the crimes against the persons category there was a 13 per cent drop in reported incidents, down from 473 in 2019 to 411 last year.

While the number of local road fatalities increased from three in 2019 to four last year, the number of serious injuries fell from 27 to 12, due primarily to the Covid-19 travel restrictions that were in place for much of the year.

The number of detections of people driving while intoxicated fell from 142 in 2019 to 110 last year, a decrease of 23%.

However, speaking at the first meeting of the Westmeath Joint Policing Committee, which was held online on Monday morning, Chief Superintendent Fergus Healy noted that while one of the “net benefits” of the Covid-19 pandemic was the reduction in crime committed, there had been a marked increase in the number of domestic violence incidents reported last year.

He also noted that while the overall detection figures for people driving while intoxicated fell last year, the number of people drug driving increased.

Chief Supt Healy said that main reason for the reduction in crime is that people were forced to stay at home for much of the year due to the Covid-19 restrictions.

However, he said that there was also a link between the increased time that people spent in their homes and the rise in domestic violence rates. Increased alcohol and drugs consumption in home settings was also a factor in the increase in the number of domestic violence incidents.

Responding to a query from Cllr Tom Farrell about the rise in drug driving detections, Chief Supt Healy said that the introduction of new testing technology has enabled gardai to detect whether a driver has been using drugs. The increase in checkpoints last year also played a role in the higher number of drug driving detections.

Cllr Liam McDaniel, who chaired the meeting, was one of a number of JPC members who praised the gardai for the work they have done throughout 2020 and, in particular, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cllr McDaniel said that in these “difficult times” the gardai serve “our community, both urban and rural, so well”.