AN “INCREDIBLE” 5,299 crimes committed in Limerick in the last three years were carried out by suspects already facing criminal charges who had been released on bail by the courts.
That’s according to Sinn Féin TD for Limerick Maurice Quinlivan, who described as “shocking but not surprising” the figures provided to his party by the Department of Justice revealing that suspects for 1,750 crimes carried out in Limerick in 2024 alone were on bail release.
The combined figure for the past three years of suspects implicated in crime in Limerick while on bail amounted to 5,299.
“These are incredible figures,” Deputy Quinlivan said.
A person accused of a crime is entitled to remain at liberty, often with the guarantee of a monetary bail bond, unless prosecutors give the court a reason why they should not be released until their trial is listed.
One of the conditions attached to that freedom is that the person on bail should not commit any crime while on release.
Deputy Quinlivan said the nationwide figures “show that suspects for 40,348 crimes carried out across the State in 2024 were on bail release”.
“This was an increase of almost 5,000 since 2022. The combined figure for the past three years of suspects implicated in crime while on bail amounted to 114,655.
“Of these, 1,750 were carried out in Limerick,” he said.
“These figures show that bail laws need to be examined to ensure they are being appropriately applied where there is a risk of someone committing further crimes while on bail.”
He added that the response by Minister Jim O’Callaghan to Deputy Matt Carthy’s parliamentary question “points to an urgency to deal with this matter. It is clear there has been a considerable rise in the number of crimes being committed by those on bail.”
“While many of these crimes would be considered relatively minor, some have been very serious, including those which have resulted in the loss of life.
“I have spoken to many local Gardai who are deeply frustrated that many people in Limerick on bail continue to commit crimes often making a nonsense of their police work.
“We need to get this right. The public will not tolerate a situation where dangerous criminals are repeatedly released on bail to commit further crimes.”
Deputy Quinlivan said the government must address the issue as a matter of urgency.
“If the bail laws are not working, as these figures suggest, then the government must act,” he said.
“If we are to deliver safe communities and reduce the level of crime, we cannot accept a situation where this level of crime is being carried out by those on bail.”
