Donegal could get new 'fraud unit' after huge increase in crime

Gardaí hope to form a specialised fraud unit in Donegal.

The moves comes after an exponential increase in reports of fraud in Donegal in 2021.

Garda Chief Superintendent Terry McGinn said such crime was ‘increasing all the time’.

Addressing the Joint Policing Committee (JPC), Chief Superintendent McGinn confirmed the aim of forming a specialised unit.

“There has been a big increase in fraud,” she said.

“People can be very vulnerable to cold calls. We did some work in relation to prevention and advising people how to go about dealing with cold callers.

“People are sometimes afraid to make a report and we have seen other instances where people get embarrassed, maybe about romantic fraud after meeting someone on the internet.”

Superintendent McGinn said drink-driving cases in Donegal was again on the up.

During the Covid-19 lockdown, there was a noticeable increase in cases of drug-driving.

“That has changed focus to drink-driving again,” she said.

A Christmas campaign in conjunction with the PSNI will be launched this week.