Galway Bay fm newsroom - Concern has been raised over a significant increase in the number of domestic incidents recorded by Gardai across Galway last year.
This week's meeting of the County Joint Policing Committee heard that domestic disputes, for which no offence was disclosed, rose by 40 percent.
Noting the increase, Garda Chief Superintendent Tom Curley acknowledged it was as a result of Covid-19 and the increased amount of time people are spending at home.
Several committee members expressed shock at the surge in figures and wanted to know what follow-up was being done by Gardai when responding to such incidents.
Chief Superintendent Curley said there is a Protective Services Unit for the division, and Gardai have comprehensive, robust systems in place to deal with domestic incidents.
He offered they are "top of the class" in terms of callbacks and have a particular focus on repeat incidents linked to an address or individual.
However, he noted that at the end of the day, Gardai cannot pursue an investigation if the people concerned refuse to make a statement of complaint.
Committee member and Galway West TD Catherine Connolly expressed dismany at the figures revealed at the meeting.
She wanted to know what analysis is being done by Gardai to determine why many women don't progress to making a complaint...
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