Crime in Inishowen spikes to pre-pandemic levels

The level of crime in Inishowen has increased by 6% between 2023 and 2024, according to official data from the Central Statistics Office and An Garda Síochána. 

A total of 933 crimes were reported to gardai in 2024, compared to 874 in 2023. Last year's figure of 933 offences is the same number across the peninsula as it was in 2019, just before covid.

Clonmany, the safest village in Inishowen in 2023, recorded a significant spike in crime in 2024, up by 50% from 52 offences to 78. Among the misdemeanours were 30 for public order offences and 16 crimes of assault or threatening behaviour. 

A noteworthy 19% increase in criminal activities was recorded in Burnfoot too, rising from 118 to 140 offences over the last year. The highest recorded crime in the border Garda Station was theft. Similar to other parts of the country, where theft has caused a spike in criminal offences, the figure in Burnfoot doubled in the 12 months from 14 to 28. 

While not as substantial as Clonmany or Burnfoot, there was a 6% increase in reported crimes at both Moville and Muff stations. Buncrana didn't see much of a change, with just a 2% jump. 

Muff and Moville were the safest areas in Inishowen last year, with 57 offences. One-third of the crimes committed in Moville were for assault, and the Moville station was the only Garda station in Inishowen that didn’t record an offence of robbery in 2024.

While in Muff a quarter of crimes committed were for theft, with a further 11 offences for assault. 

Buncrana, the biggest town in the peninsula, saw crime reports rise from 354 to 360. Assaults and public order offences were the most common crimes, accounting for 174 of the 360 reported. Cases involving assault in particular saw a dramatic rise in Buncrana, from the low 60s in 2022 and 2023 to 96 last year.

Newtowncunningham Garda Station recorded the exact same number as last year, with 66 offences; though this is a 40% decrease in crimes since 2019. Offences detected were 15 for dangerous driving and 13 for criminal damage.

The majority of Inishowen had increases, except for Carndonagh, which was the only station to see a drop in figures; though only by one, from 176 in 2023 to 175 last year. It is still 13 crimes more than 2019 but hugely down from a total of 214 in 2022. The recorded offences in Carn included 46 crimes of criminal damage and 45 assaults. 

There was a dramatic decrease in burglaries last year, with only 23 reports of that particular crime across Inishowen; down from 35 burglaries in 2023 and substantially less than the 64 burglaries in 2017.

After a sharp rise in drug offences in 2022 of 78 cases, the offence has decreased yet again. Detected drug crimes had generally declined over the past decade largely due to the disbandment of the Inishowen Garda drugs unit in 2010 amid State cutbacks. In 2008 there were 136 drug detections in Inishowen – which fell to 29 in 2016. Detections fell to 63 offences in 2023 and have now fallen again, close to 2016 levels, with 40 offences.

Assault, criminal damage and theft make up over half of all offences committed in the peninsula last year. Assault was the most commonly detected crime with 210 reported cases, up from 159 in the previous year. 

Reports of more serious crimes remain rare, with just 10 robberies, down from 17 in 2023 but still much higher than three in 2022.

Incidents of dangerous driving throughout Inishowen increased by 33% from 79 offences in 2023 to 105 last year.

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There’s a total of 85 members of Garda Siochana in the Inishowen area, the vast majority of whom are stationed in Buncrana, which used to be Inishowen’s district headquarters. As of April, a new operating model for An Garda Siochana in Donegal was rolled out, which saw the removal of the Garda Districts and Inishowen joining the new Donegal North Community Engagement area.

Of the six stations previously in the Inishowen district, Buncrana has 58 members, and as the former district headquarters, it includes the senior officers of superintendent and inspector. Six sergeants are also stationed in Buncrana.

Carndonagh Garda Station has 16 guards under one sergeant, while Moville has one sergeant and three guards. Muff Garda Station is staffed by two gardaí and one sergeant. Burnfoot has three gardaí attached to the station, while figures for Clonmany were unavailable. 

Newtowncunningham used to fall under the Letterkenny Garda district but is now also in the North Community Engagement area and is staffed by five gardai and one sergeant.