The Covid-19 pandemic has had an impact on policing in Cork with a reduction in assaults and public order offences, according to a senior officer in the city.
This has been due to pubs and nightclubs being closed for long periods while increased Garda checkpoints have led to an increase in drug seizures.
Chief Supt Barry McPolin of Cork City Garda Division told a joint policing committee meeting that the pandemic’s impact was evident in different ways as he outlined changes in the crime statistics for the city between January and November 2019 and the equivalent period in 2020.
The number of assaults where people suffered harm fell by 26 per cent between 2019 and 2020 – down from 230 to 171 – while the number of minor assaults fell by 17 per cent, down from 840 in 2019 to 698 in 2020, according to Chief Supt McPolin.
“Violent assaults are down due to increased Garda visibility and the impact of Covid 19. The night-time economy was severely affected throughout the year with pubs and nightclubs being closed during the highest level of lockdown and that’s reflected in a reduction in the number of assaults.”
The senior officer also said that the reduction in public order incidents is also a consequence of the fact that nightclubs and pubs were more or less closed for the last nine months. That has meant “less drunkenness on the streets late on Friday and Saturdays night; it [the lockdown] has been a positive in that respect”.
Although the number of reported rapes in Cork City Division increased by 22 per cent between 2019 when there were 36 cases and 2020 when there were 44, many incidents were historic in nature as were many sexual assaults which fell by 27 per cent from 111 to 81.
Chief Supt McPolin said that more Garda checkpoints around the city to ensure people were abiding by Covid-19 guidelines was also a factor in the increased number of drugs seizures, including many where drug dealers were caught with substantial amounts.
Coronavirus rule-breaches
He said the 85 per cent increase in the number of detections of people caught with drugs for sale or supply – up from 169 in 2019 to 312 in 2020 – also reflected an increase in resources being given to the Cork City Divisional Drugs Unit as well as District Drugs Unit around the city.
While drug dealing incidents was significantly higher in 2020 than in 2019, the number of detections for personal use also increased substantially, with 33 per cent more seizures in 2020 when there were 1,033 detections as opposed to 777 in 2019.
The number of incidents where gardaí recorded breaches of Covid 19 regulations, such as going beyond the 5km limit or refusing to comply with a garda direction in relation to a restriction amounted to 62.
The pandemic also had impact on traffic statistics, said Chief Supt McPolin, who attributed the drop in traffic collision serious injury incidents, down 18 per cent, traffic collisions non-serious injuries, down 17 per cent and traffic collisions material damage, down 32 per cent, to reduced traffic volumes due to Covid-19.
