Borris now the ‘crime capital’ as criminals target the village

By Chris Fingleton
BORRIS became the crime capital of Carlow last week as criminal gangs went on a rampage round the village. The crime spree, which began on Wednesday night last, 5 November, has left one family so terrified that the mother is now lying awake in her bed at night, worried that the intruders will return, while her 15-year-old daughter refuses to stay in the family home on her own.

The robbers entered the house at around 3am, stole the zapper keys to the electronic gates and stole the keys of a car belonging to their daughter. They also stole the homeowners’ beige-coloured Mitsubishi jeep, which contained tools worth an estimated .1,700. It was later discovered that a lawnmower, valued at approximately .500, a compressor valued at approximately .3,000 and golf clubs valued at approximately .300 were stolen from a shed on the grounds of the premises.

“I can’t sleep at night, because I’m lying awake waiting for them to come back up our driveway,” said the terrified victim. “My 15-year-old daughter is afraid to stay on her own in the house anymore.”

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, claims that since the garda boundaries were changed earlier this year, there is not a strong enough garda presence in the Borris area. “You never see a garda in Borris in the middle of the week, and that is when all this crime is happening,” claimed the victim. The victim and her family are now calling for a greater garda presence in Borris to combat this recent crime wave.

The jeep was later found abandoned at nearby Glashganny Woods on Thursday evening, 5 November. A handbag and three wallets were found in the vicinity of the abandoned vehicle. The jeep was taken to Carlow Garda Station where it was technically examined.

A car was also stolen from a home at Corries Cross and was later spotted in the Carlow area. The crime spree continued later that night at around 1.25am, when vandals broke into the local vocational school by smashing a plate glass window. The intruders then disabled the school’s alarm but left empty handed.

A red Yamaha motorcycle was also stolen from premises at Pound Lane in Borris between the hours of

11.30pm and 8am on 4/5 November.

There were 12 reported incidents of theft and eight reported incidents of burglaries in the county during the past week. Local gardaí are also investigating 12 reported cases of criminal damage in the county and nine incidents of car theft.

In other crime news, five people were arrested for drink-driving and seven people were arrested following searches for possession of drugs in the county.