CRIMINALS tried to hold a flood-stranded woman ransom by claiming to be from Limerick City and County Council and charging her €250 to clear her road, a meeting of the local authority’s Joint Policing Committee was told.
Garda Superintendent Brian Sugrue asked members of the Cappamore-Kilmallock area committee to let their constituents know that there was an increase in instances of criminals targeting vulnerable householders and to ask them to contact the Gardaí immediately.
Area council chairman Eddie Ryan (FF) said that he had received a phone call during the last flood from a woman who was cut off and who had “people at her door who said they were from the council and they were going to sort the problem. They told her she was required to pay a contribution of €250.
“She told them she didn’t have that much in cash but said she would get them a cheque She slipped away and rang me. I rang some neighbours and three people came out to her house and the men at the door backed off “.
Cllr Ryan said in another incident, a group of hunters arrived with lurcher dogs and a frightened woman called her son who came and told them his mother’s place was private land. The group attacked him and left him unconscious.
Supt Sugrue said there was an increase in people using such tactics. “They arrive with lurchers but it’s not hares they’re after”.
Councillors raised the issue of Garda response times with the superintendent, pointing out that people are sometimes disappointed with the response times, with some residents reporting that they wait up to two hours after making the call.
Supt Sugrue said that residents “should always call the Gardaí if there are suspicious people at their door. We treat these incidents as burglaries.
“I would expect that Gardaí would respond very quickly to these calls, unless there is something like a fatal accident which requires members to attend. Otherwise, if people are waiting I would like councillors to give me particulars so I can investigate what happened,” he added.
