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More than € 3 million worth of drugs have been seized in the city and county of Cork since the beginning of the year, and more than double the number of people (some 448) found in possession of drugs for sale or supply.
The figures are among the traffic and crime statistics released today at the Cork County Police Joint Committee meeting.
The meeting also heard that incidents of domestic violence increased 18% in the last ten months.
Local Gardai said the figures, which are in line with the national average, are cause for concern.
Addressing the bi-monthly meeting, Chief Superintendent Tom Myers said they continue to treat all cases of domestic abuse as a priority and encouraged the public to report all incidents of domestic abuse.
Councilors were also informed that 59 cases of rape have been reported in the county in the past ten months; 40 in Cork City and 19 in Cork North.
These figures are similar to those reported in 2019.
Chief Superintendent Myers said Protective Services Units are already operational in Cork City, Fermoy and Dunmanway.
With the introduction of Covid-19 restrictions across the county, gardaí in West Cork carried out almost three times the number of inspections in public houses than in the same period last year.
Similar figures were reported in the north of the county and in the city.
From January to October this year, Gardaí carried out 4,025 inspections in West Cork, up from 1,306 in 2019.
Addressing the Committee, Chief Superintendent Myers said the vast majority of pubs and off-license areas are complying with Covid-19 restrictions despite the challenges.
Some files have been sent to the Director of the Public Ministry.
648 people have been arrested on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs since January.
Chief Superintendent Myers said the numbers are very disappointing and “hard to believe these days” given all the media campaigns.
But he warned that the Gardaí are still very active on the roads, so the message coming out of today’s meeting is that if you are driving under the influence of alcohol and / or drugs you will be caught and the penalties are severe.
Nineteen people have died on county roads so far this year, these numbers include pedestrians, bicyclists, passengers and drivers.
There have been 1,922 checkpoints across the county since the introduction of the Covid-19 travel restrictions last March, with 282 reports of people breaking the 5km rule or coughing in gardaí.
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