Number of assaults on streets of Navan drops by 51 per cent

The news that assaults in Navan town have dropped by a massive 51 per cent in just one year has been strongly welcomed by Cllr Shane Cassells, who said that the presence of more visible gardai on the street is having the desired effect. It has also emerged that 29 per cent of all assaults recorded occur between the hours of 1am to 4am on Sunday mornings. Members of the Joint Policing Committee (JPC) for Navan were briefed on the statistics by Superintendent Michael Devine of Navan Garda Station at their meeting last Friday morning. Of the 210 assaults recorded between the period 1st January 2008 and 31st March 2010, a total 72 have occurred in the areas of Bridge Street, Ludlow Street, Market Square, Kennedy Road and Johnstown. Cllr Cassells commended the Gardai on their success in bringing down the amount of serious assaults happening in the town. "It is heartening to see these figures coming down and the presence of more gardai in the town centre as well as their work with the people in expanding residential areas is to be commended," remarked the Navan councillor. "Tackling crime is a hard enough job without having a load of drunken yobs to contend with on a Saturday night. Their feckless behaviour can damage people for life and the statistics show where these assaults are happening - it does not take a genius to work out what is fuelling it," he added. In 2008, there were 132 assaults recorded in the town, 36 of them serious, but this figure dropped to 64 in 2009. So far in 2010, there have been 14 assaults recorded up until the end of March, with five of these being serious assaults. Correspondingly, the number of public order offences brought forward by the Gardai has increased in line with this reduction in assaults. With a 78.6 per cent detection rate, there is clear evidence that the Gardai are intervening in situations before they develop into something more serious, added Cllr Cassells. Councillors also received an update on the installation of CCTV cameras in the town. The project, which will see closed-circuit cameras located at several locations in Navan town centre and is costing €200,000, has been submitted to the Garda Commissioner for his signature to approve the scheme. It is expected approval for the project will be awarded before the next meeting of the JPC, scheduled for June.