Seizures of offensive weapons increase

Seizures of offensive weapons in Tipperary are up by 33 per cent in the eleven months up to the end of November, the Garda Chief Superintendent for the county Derek Smart told a meeting of the Tipperary Joint Policing Committee held recently.

He said the types of weapons seized included slash hooks, knuckledusters, knives and iron bars “that people are being stopped using for their own protection or in the course of disputes”.

The number of seizures of these types of offensive weapons had grown from 46 in the same period in 2019 to to 61 in the current year.

In regard to firearm seizures, a 40 per cent increase has been recorded. However, the overall numbers are small - a total of seven incidents, up from five last year.

Among the items seized included a hand gun and taser gun.

The Chief Superintendent reported a 16 per cent drop overall in the county in crimes against the person, covering categories such as murder, murder threats, assaults, harassment, child abandonment and neglect and abuse.

The only districts in Tipperary that recorded in an increase in crimes against the person were Nenagh, up 2 per cent (from 87 incidents to 89) and Clonmel, up by 19 per cent.

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