A New Zealand tourist needed stitches to a facial wound after she was slashed with a knife during an attempted robbery in Dublin at the weekend.
A man and two women were taken into custody following four violent robberies around the city on Sunday. A knife was recovered from the scene of one incident. Gardai confirmed the robberies were linked.
On Sunday morning an 18-year-old woman was cut on the arm as she stood at a bus stop in Tallaght. A woman jumped out of a car driven by a male accomplice, slashed the woman and grabbed her handbag. The victim was brought to Tallaght Hospital and underwent surgery.
In a second incident, the tourist from Auckland was slashed on the left cheek as she resisted the theft of her handbag near Christ Church Cathedral. Gardai and members of the public stopped the attack and a woman was arrested. The incident occurred on St Michael's Hill, and the woman, who had been visiting a friend in Dublin, received medical attention at St James's Hospital.
Two other muggings took place in Monkstown and Harold's Cross before two further arrests were made.
Sixty-six crimes committed against tourists have been referred to the Victim Support organisation so far this month, according to preliminary figures issued yesterday.
Ms Lisa O'Neill, co-ordinator at the Victim Support Office for Tourists in Harcourt Square, said it appeared in the media that a spate of violent attacks had occurred against tourists in recent weeks.
However, she stressed their figures showed levels and degrees of violence used against tourists as roughly the same as 1999. "We find that violent attacks are few and far between, and larceny accounts for the majority of crimes perpetrated," added Ms O'Neill.
Up to the end of July, Victim Support had dealt with 239 crimes against tourists including 13 assaults and six violent robberies. The majority were larceny and thefts from cars.
The 66 cases referred this month include 31 pickpockets, one assault and four violent robberies using a knife or syringe. A large rise was recorded in the number of thefts from tourists' cars. Thirteen cases were referred this month compared with 48 for the first seven months of the year.