The Irish Independent spoke with 70 year old retired horse trainer Mary Blundell about the dramatic increase in crime around her local community over the past five years and how it has affected her day-to-day life.
Mary and her neighbours, who live in Abbeyleix and the surrounding areas of Ballcolla, Rathdowney and Durrow in Co Laois have seen the crime rate in their community rise significantly since the opening of the M8 Motorway in 2010.
Michael Phelan, the chairman of the Woodenbridge District Community Alert Group, which was set up to counter the growing crime problem revealed how the alert group “has worked very well but it has not stopped the crime and we believe that the robbers are now working on local knowledge and are living in the area.”
Mr. Phelan among others who spoke to the Irish Independent describe how the gardaí are doing the best they can with drastically limited resources. However, in recent times both Durrow & Ballycolla Garda Stations have closed down with the nearest operational Garda Station being Abbeyleix which itself only opens 12 hours a day.
The newspaper also spoke with local veterinary surgeon Grainne Kavanagh who told them how her surgery has been broken into twice in the past four years and how in February she had her jeep stolen from outside her home. Ms. Kavanagh went on the reveal how “Crime here is rampant in the last year or two and they (thieves) seem to be getting more brazen.”