One in every three people in Co Donegal have been a victim of crime in the last five years.
This is just one of several startling findings uncoverd in a survey by Sinn Fein in the county.
The party conducted a survey of over five hundred people chosen at random across Donegal North and East.
The survey took place at the end of 2012, prior to the widely documented crime wave that took place in North & East Donegal since Christmas.
The purpose of the survey was to attempt to gauge the impacts of, and attitudes towards crime and anti-social behavior within that area.
These interviews were conducted by Sinn Féin members working on a voluntary basis.
All interviews were conducted face to face.
The findings:
59% of persons interviewed believe that there is a serious problem with crime and anti-social behaviour within their community.
59% of persons interviewed believe that the level of crime and anti-social behaviour has risen over the past five years.
50% of persons interviewed believe that the Garda presence in their community has markedly decreased over the past five years.
79% of persons interviewed would like to see an increase in Garda patrols.
80% of persons interviewed either do not have, or are not aware of a Community Alert/Neighbourhood Watch scheme in their local area.
92% of persons interviewed do not belong to either a Community Alert or Neighbourhood Watch scheme in their local area.
86% of persons interviewed would like to play a greater role in assisting the Gardaí in their local area.
Over a quarter of persons interviewed (26%) do not feel safe in their own community.
Just under a third (31%) of persons interviewed were victims of crime or anti-social behaviour within the last five years.
Over a quarter of persons interviewed (27%) who were a victim of a crime or incidence of anti-social behaviour declined to report the incident to the authorities.
Over half (54%) of the persons interviewed have been forced to take additional security measures to protect themselves and their property from incidents of crime and/or anti-social activity.
Almost a third (31%) of persons interviewed have felt compelled to source a dog for security
reasons.
A third of persons interviewed (33%) do not feel safe going out at night in their local areas.
Four out of five persons interviewed (81%) believe that parents should be held responsible for the actions of their children.
Three-quarters of persons interviewed (74%) do not believe that the Gardaí have adequate resources to combat crime in their communities.
It is apparent amongst the persons interviewed, that the majority of people do not believe that a security response on its own, will tackle crime and anti-social behaviour within their communities.
The majority of people also favour a response that addresses the root causes of crime and anti-social behaviour.
A significant number of people believe that drug and alcohol abuse coupled with economic factors have played their part in the escalating crime figures.
Undoubtedly, successive government cutbacks that have resulted in diminished resources being available to the Gardaí have to be seen as a huge factor in the rise in crime and anti-social behaviour.
Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn said the findings give an insight into how crime is affecting people across Donegal.
“Over the last number of months members of Sinn Féin have been engaged in a major project right across Donegal North and East. The fieldwork part of this project involved large numbers of Sinn Féin members working on a voluntary basis, conducting face to face interviews across Donegal North and East to source the empirical evidence that provides the core of this survey.
“The results of this process display in the clearest terms exactly how our people, young and old, feel about crime and policing in the county. They explain what crime people are most worried about, why they feel it is happening, and how they feel it should be addressed.
“Our public representatives have also met with senior members of both the Gardaí and the PSNI. The party has also engaged in a comprehensive series of meetings with resource centres, community, sporting and health groups across the area. Sinn Féin’s intention is to act as both a catalyst and active participant in a process of dialogue which will see the coming together of the various stakeholders and decision makers within the various communities that make up Donegal.
“Sinn Féin strongly believes that any lasting solution to the problems of crime and anti-social behavior will require a multi-faceted and collaborative solution involving the Gardaí, statutory agencies, judicial system, public representatives, the community and voluntary network, and the wider public.”
Sinn Fein has presented the views and opinions of the people surveyed in booklet form, with the key findings clearly stated.
They have also set out a series of recommendations that set out a series of practical measures that articulate Sinn Féin’s view on how best to address the problems of crime and anti-social behaviour in Donegal.
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