Over 6,000 crimes recorded in Louth/Meath division in 2005

By Tamara O'Connell, Dundalk Democrat

OVER 6,000 crimes were recorded in the Louth/Meath division during 2005 yet only 174 people from Louth and 137 from Meath were sent to jail

Overall the number of crimes recorded in the Louth/Meath Division increased by 10%, while crime detection rates in the region dropped by 3%, according to the 2005 Annual Garda Report. It also emerged this week that there has been a 99% rise in the number of motorists caught speeding in the district. In the first six months of this year, 2,832 drivers were caught speeding, compared to 1,417 in the same period in 2005.

Various types of theft accounted for the biggest proportion of the crimes documented in Louth/Meath last year. There were 3,104 thefts, 1,932 burglaries, 102 robberies and 228 fraud cases. There were 244 assaults, 117 sexual offences, 109 cases of arson, 72 drugs offences and 92 other types of crimes recorded in the region last year.

In Cavan/Monaghan there were 958 thefts, 490 burglaries, eight robberies, 121 fraud cases, 198 assaults, 61 sexual offences, 20 cases of arson, 56 drugs offences and 44 other types of offences. The detection rate of 44% in Cavan/Monahan which was higher than in Louth/Meath which recorded a 24% detection rate.

In 2005 there was one murder in both divisions. No manslaughters were recorded. Overall, there were 16,100 crimes reported last year in the Eastern Region with over 30,000 regional road traffic offences recorded. 113 people died on the roads in the same period.