More than one-third of all armed robberies involve retail petrol outlets, according to the Society of the Irish Motor Industry. Mr Cyril McHugh, of the SIMI, was outlining the results of a survey it had carried out, which found that 35 per cent of all armed robberies were against petrol stations. These were seen as easy targets because they stayed open later than other businesses and had quick entry and exit.
In general the money taken was small, normally less than £500, so they were treated as minor crimes by the gardai and the courts. However, this did not take into account the social cost of the assaults and threats. The SIMI survey found that 67 per cent of respondents had been victims of crime in the past 12 months, a third of whom were attacked more than once. Ms Una McManus, of the National Women's Council, said that less than one-fifth of the members of the National Crime Forum were women. She urged that the priorities of women and an analysis of gender-based crime should be included in any policy on crime.