Roaming criminal gangs spark Longford rural crime spree fears

It comes after thieves broke in and stole thousands of euros worth of machinery and tools from a farm in Kenagh over the weekend.

At least two and possibly three hooded suspects are believed to have gained access to a premises on the Ballymahon side of the south Longford village sometime after 1am last Saturday morning.

During the course of the next three hours, the gang made off with a quad bike and several DeWatt power tools in a heist which has thrown the spotlight on rural crime.

A garda spokesperson said detectives had launched an investigation after uniformed personnel carried out an examination of the scene on Saturday.

“Gardaí are investigating an alleged theft that occurred at an agricultural premises in the Kenagh area, Co. Longford in the early hours of Saturday 5th November 2022,” said the spokesperson.

“No arrests have been made at this time. Investigations are ongoing.”

One line of inquiry being pursued is whether the incident was orchestrated by a marauding and sophisticated burglary gang.

A large slice of that premise is based on how cameras connected to the farm’s CCTV system were disabled and how the culprits spent a number of hours on the property with no apparent fear of being caught.

Gardaí are also trying to establish how the gang managed to transfer both the quad and stolen tools from such a remote location under the cover of darkness and whether a large van was used as part of the brazen raid.

It comes just days after a family living in the south Longford area highlighted how their farmyard was ‘scoped’ ahead of a possible break-in attempt.

In that episode, three men travelling in a UK registered car were seen acting suspiciously close to the farm’s entrance.

When its owners went to the front of the agricultural holding, they found its front gates had been ‘marked’ with a fine white wire.

Meanwhile, Irish Rural Link, the national network representing the interest of rural communities, has urged people living in some of the more isolated parts of the country to maintain extra vigilance by checking in on elderly neighbours and those living alone.

In response to recent figures which showed four in ten Garda stations across the country have seen a rise in reported crimes in 2021 from 2019, despite Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, the body said now was a time for rural communities to fight back against the scourge of organised crime.

“With the clocks going back and nights becoming longer, we continue to ask people living in rural areas to be vigilant and check in on elderly neighbours and those living alone,” said a spokesperson.

“There is generally a rise in burglaries during the winter months and older people can be particularly vulnerable to crimes in their own homes at this time.

“Schemes such as the Community Text Alert Scheme and Neighbourhood Watch are so valuable to many communities and we encourage where they are in operation that all residents sign up to be included.

“We would also encourage communities that do not have such a scheme in place to seriously consider setting one up.”