Donegal Fianna Fáil Senator and European Parliament candidate, Niall Blaney, is calling for an all-out action plan to combat rural crime.
Senator Blaney says there has to be a co-ordinated campaign to protect businesses and farming communities who are preyed upon by organised gangs and opportunist thieves.
Senator Blaney says: “There has to be a joined-up approach. That means increased patrolling and better detecting by An Garda Síochána. There is an established need for higher visibility and that will mean increasing Garda numbers and resources in each of our counties, particularly along the border.
“That’s only one part of the equation. We must also see a zero tolerance when criminals are convicted in our Courts. New sentencing guidelines from the Government are required to allow the Courts to impose tougher penalties.
“Criminals must realise that if they terrorise our farmers and businesses and steal valuable farm equipment and property, they will be severely punished. On physical assaults, occasioning actual bodily harm, convictions should carry automatic jail time.
“Too often, farmers, many living alone in isolated areas, feel they are prisoners in their own homes as darkness falls. We are not giving them the protection they have a right to expect. That is an indictment on the criminal justice system and a far too lenient approach.
“I will be writing to the Justice Minister and the Garda Commissioner to set out my concerns and asking for an urgent review of rural crime patterns to be conducted and Courts empowered with new sentencing guidelines. It’s time we had an effective all-out action plan to deal with the scourge of rural crime.”
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