Dundalk's Cllr O'Murchú urges those with crime information to speak to Gardaí

Dundalk cllr Ruairí Ó Murchú met with An Garda Síochána last Friday in Dundalk Garda Station regarding a number of serious attacks which have taken place recently.  
Following the meeting, Councillor Ó Murchú said: 

“Over recent weeks there have been a number of extremely serious and worrying incidents in Dundalk.  

“Last week a man was seriously injured when a car mounted the footpath and deliberately knocked him down.  

“There have also been a spate of violent attacks, including stabbings, petrol bomb attacks and shootings. 

“I spoke to Gardaí about these incidents, many of which are believed to be linked to drug dealing gangs operating in Dundalk. 

“The report by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, issued on Friday, found that Ireland is one of six countries where the abuse of crack cocaine has increased in the past five years and has now the third highest usage of cocaine in the EU. 

“The Chief Superintendent for Louth, Christy Mangan, has spoken recently about an ‘epidemic’ of drug taking in our towns and villages which has reached such proportion that we face losing a generation of young people to drugs.  

“It’s clear that drug use is increasing in Louth as too is the violent crime which accompanies it.   

“I urge anyone with information on these or other crimes to bring it to the attention of An Garda Síochána. The community must come forward to help get rid of the scourge of drug dealers in our midst. 

"The Gardaí are the only people who can deal with these situations and I would also call on people to remain calm and to desist from adding fuel to the fire by posting unhelpful messages and threats on social media." 

At the meeting on Friday, Superintendent Gerry Curley called for the community in Dundalk to take a stand against criminal gangs and to provide the Gardaí with information they may have on recent attacks that have happened in the Dundalk area, particularly the serious attack on Barrack Street. 

“Sinn Féin welcome the 25 new Gardaí being sent to Drogheda and five more to Dundalk and we will continue to ensure greater resources are diverted to Louth Gardaí to tackle this serious issue and that the associated health and addiction services are in place and accessible to those who need them", Cllr Ó Murchú concluded.