Vandalism and property damage has seen a significant increase in Swords in the last year, Garda statistics reveal
Statistics given to the Fingal Joint Policing Committee show that criminal damage in the Swords area has risen dramatically in the last year by 48%.
Some 267 cases of criminal damage were recorded in Swords in 2023 up from 180 in 2022.
This tallies with reports of vandalism around the town. In the last 12 months we have seen damage to a sensory room in Rivervalley Community Centre, toilets in the Ward River Valley Park trashed on three occassions, toilets in Town Park damaged and cars in St Cronan’s Parish car park badly damaged.
The Garda Chief Superintendent who presented the statistics said that the category of criminal damage can be difficult to draw clear trends from because it is very broad – including very minor incidents as well as serious acts of vandalism.
While the statistics show a clear jump in vandalism they also record some positive trends with burglaries in Swords falling by 58% last year.
Cllr Ian Carey, who is Chair of the Fingal Joint Policing Committee, said:
“It has been really clear that we have had a very bad year in Swords for vandalism and these statistics bear that out. What I would like to see now is a robust policing response to get on top of these issues. It’s clear that in some areas we are going to need CCTV installed to address persistent problems and I’d like to see the Community Response Unit working to tackle areas where we think these problems are going to arise.
“I want to mention too the positive burglary numbers. In 2019 when I was first elected the town was the grip of a very serious spate of burglaries but since then we have seen a strong focus from Gardaí on the issues and it is clear that it is working. I hope that continues.”
