The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee has said that “violent crime has no place in our society” following an horrendous assault on a retired farmer in Sligo last week.

On Tuesday, January 18, three masked men forced their way into a private house at approximately 7:00p.m on the N59 in Skreen on the main route between Sligo and Ballina

The victim of the attack, 73-year-old, Thomas Niland, is the sole resident of the house and answered his front door after hearing a knock. He was immediately and viciously assaulted causing serious head and upper body injuries.

He was transferred to Sligo University Hospital where his condition deteriorated and he is now in a critical condition and on life support. No arrests have been made so far in the investigation.

The justice minister told Agriland that her thoughts are with the farmer, Thomas Niland, at this time, as he fights for his life in hospital.

The minister said that she and her department “fully appreciate that rural crime affects communities across the country who deserve to feel, and to be, safe”.

“Incidents like these, though rare, are terrifying not only for the victim themselves but for the entire community,” a department spokesperson added.

“Home is the one place we should all be able to feel safe and comfortable, and fear of attack in one’s own home is something that can never be tolerated.”

The government has said that it is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, with the allocation provided in Budget 2022 of more than €2 billion.

This includes funding for the recruitment of up to an additional 800 garda members and 400 garda staff this year and a new garda recruitment campaign is due to open shortly.

According to the department, over 800 garda members have also been redeployed in recent years from administrative duties to frontline policing roles.

Department of Justice actions

The winter phase of Operation Thor was launched in October by An Garda Síochána and is designed to tackle burglaries and associated criminal activities.

One of the objectives of Operation Thor is to identify culprits and locate stolen property, with a strong focus on initiating criminal proceedings where possible and appropriate.

A critical focus of Operation Thor, which was set up in 2015, is that there is a particular focus on victims and that they are engaged with in a supportive manner.

The Department of Justice said it has also provided funding for the employment and associated costs of the national Community Alert Programme for many years, including the employment of regional development officers.

These development officers provide support to Community and Text Alert schemes and offer advice on how to establish new schemes.

Future of Policing

Meanwhile, the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland highlighted that policing and crime prevention are not the responsibility of An Garda Síochána and the Department of Justice alone.

It concluded that improving community safety requires a multi-sectoral approach, strong inter-agency collaboration and engagement from the community.

To achieve this, three pilot Local Community Safety Partnerships have been established (in North Inner City Dublin, Waterford and Longford) and will run for two years ahead of a nationwide rollout to all local authority areas under the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill.

These pilot locations have been chosen to reflect different communities – urban, primarily rural and a mixed large urban/rural setting, according to the department.

The partnerships are expected to replace and expand on the remit of the existing Joint Policing Committees (JPCs).

The are aimed at providing a forum for residents and community representatives, along with the relevant state agencies, such as An Garda Síochána, the HSE, Tusla and others.

The Local Community Safety Partnerships aim to provide a dedicated communication channel for input and the development of Local Community Safety Plans to reflect and respond to the self-identified needs of that community.

Rural communties

According to the Department of Justice, a further strand of the national effort to help people living in rural communities is the National Rural Safety Forum.

It brings together An Garda Síochána, the Department of Justice and the Department of Rural and Community Development, alongside national and local organisations including the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), Muintir na Tíre, and the GAA.

The purpose of the forum is to develop a nationwide network for the distribution of crime prevention advice, increase engagement within communities and prevent and reduce opportunities for crime.