On this month’s Crime Prevention segment, Sergeant Alan Roughneen was in studio to discuss this year’s “Supporting Safer Communities Campaign” which takes place from Thursday 2nd June to Wednesday 8th June 2016. The campaign will commence on 2nd June to coincide with the “Bloom in the Park” festival. The Commissioner has designated the campaign will focus on personal safety and preventing crime linked with the night time economy. Sergeant Roughneen will offer advice to the public in relation to keeping themselves safe when on a night out and advise the public to plan their journey.
The Gardaí at Greystones Garda Station are investigating the discharging of firearms incident that occurred on Saturday 12th December 2015 at Farrankelly Road, Greystones, Co. Wicklow at approximately 11.30am.
The injured party was travelling along the Farrankelly road when he observed an incident taking place, a number of shots were discharged from a long barrel gun. Two shots connected with the injured party’s car causing damage to it.
It was 11.30am in the morning and there were a lot of people in the area, the Farrankelly Road is the main road leading to Greystones Village.
A number of witnesses in the area at the time recall seeing a silver Audi estate car parked on the Farrankelly Road. There was also a white van, possibly a Ford Transit or a Renault Traffic parked just before Eden Gate on the Farrankelly Road.
• Gardaí are appealing to anyone with information in relation to this incident on that Saturday morning to come forward.
• Gardaí are appealing to anyone in the area at the time of this incident to come forward, between 11am and midday in the Greystones and Kilcoole area. The weather was particularly wet that day.
• Gardaí are looking for information in relation to the Audi estate car, possibly an A4 06-08 model and the white Ford Transit or Renault Traffic van that were parked on the Farrankelly Road that morning.
Gardaí at Bray Garda Station are investigating telephone 01 6665300
The Gardaí at Killarney Garda Station are investigating the disappearance of Charles Brooke Pickard who is missing from his home at Behaghane, a townland on the Iveragh Peninsula near Sneem, Co.Kerry since Friday 26th April 1991.
Brooke lived here with his wife Penny and four children, their house is situated 3.5km from Castlecove and 6km from Caherdaniel. He was originally from Leeds in the United Kingdom but set up home here with his family. On that Friday morning he left home at 10.30am with a view to calling to a neighbour to collect turf but he never arrived. He was wearing blue overalls, brown boots with yellow laces and a wristwatch with a silver bracelet strap. He was driving his blue Ford Transit van registration number YNP231W.
A number of witnesses in the area recall seeing Brooke travelling on the Castlecove road towards Sneem. A witness observed Brook’s van proceed down a slipway towards White Strand. As Brooke parked his van, a male wearing a balaclava came running from the bushes behind Brooke’s van. This man appeared to be beckoning as if there was somebody coming behind him.
Gardaí believe there was a struggle here between Brooke and a number of men and Brooke was abducted and transported from this location in his own van to an unknown area.
Brooke’s van was observed driving at speed from the Castlecove direction towards Caherdanial.
Penny reported Brooke missing the following day and an investigation was launched by local Gardaí. Brooke’s van was discovered destroyed by fire in a State Forest at Shronaloughnane on the 16th May 1991. Shronaloughnane is a location close to the road leading to the Ballaghosheen Pass from the Caherciveen to Sneem road.
Appeal:
• Twenty five years on Gardaí are appealing to anyone with information about the disappearance and abduction of Brooke to come forward.
• Gardaí are appealing to landowners in the area that may have recovered tools such as shovals, spades, pick axes on their land at the time of Brooke’s disappearance to come forward.
• Brooke’s van was recovered at Shronaloughnane, Gardaí are appealing to farmers in the area that may have seen suspicious activating on the morning of Friday 26th April 1991 to come forward.
Gardaí at Killarney Garda Station are investigating, Telephone 064 6671160
Gardaí at Ardee Garda Station are appealing for information in relation to a fatal hit and run traffic collision that occurred in the early hours of Sunday the 11th May 2014.
Thirty five year old Keith Byrne was socialising with friends in an area known as Channonrock on Saturday evening. He left to walk to his home only a short distance away. A taxi driver passing discovered Keith’s body lying on the roadway. He was later pronounced dead. Keith’s father had to identify his son. He was buried last Friday the 16th May 2014 at Louth Village Cemetery.
Appeal:
• Gardaí are making a direct appeal to the driver of the vehicle involved in this fatal collision to come forward and they will be treated sensitively.
• Gardaí are reviewing CCTV from the area in the hope of developing this investigation and appealing to motorists who were in the area of Channonrock, Carnalogue and Monavallet between the 4.20am and 4.50am to come forward.
• Gardaí are appealing to anyone with information in relation to this incident to come forward.
Gardaí at Drogheda Garda Station are investigating, Telephone 041 9874200
The Gardaí at Ronanstown Garda Station are investigating the murder of Dean Johnston that occurred on Wednesday the 25th of May 2011.
At approximately 8.50pm Dean Johnston was sitting in the back of a red Volkswagen golf registration number 96D7503 on Moorefield Avenue just yards from his home. A lone gunman approached the car and fired shots in through the rear passenger window hitting Dean and killing him. He was taken by ambulance to hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Dean was just 20 years old and was a fitness fanatic. He was hoping to become a fitness
Instructor.
An extensive murder investigation has taken place over the last number of years and the investigation team are of the belief that there are still witnesses out there who witnessed the murder or observed the gunman fleeing the scene and to-date have not come forward or are reluctant to give certain information to An Garda Siochana.
Appeal
• Anyone in the Moorefield estate and Neilstown Road area at the time of the murder or in the hours prior to the incident to contact the Gardaí.
• Gardaí are particularly interested in speaking to any residents of the Moorefield estate who may have seen something not in keeping with the normality of the area.
• Any sightings of the gunman in the Moorefield estate or surrounding area prior to or immediately after the incident.
• Anyone with information in relation to the murder or identity of the person(s) involved in this incident to contact the Gardaí to be treated in confidence.
• Even the smallest piece of information, which may seem insignificant to you, might help with the investigation.
Gardaí at Ronanstown Garda Station are investigating, telephone 01 6667700
Gardaí at Clogherhead Garda Station are investigating a robbery from a supermarket that occurred on Tuesday 3rd May 2016 at 3.40pm.
The manager and two staff members were working in the supermarket and post office on this Tuesday afternoon. A blue colored Audi car drove into the car park of the supermarket, there were three men in the car all wearing high visibility jackets. The three men got out of the car and ran towards the shop. The men were all armed, one of the men was armed with a firearm, and the others with a crowbar and a sledge hammer. Two of the men ran towards the office where the manager and another member of staff were. The raider burst in through the door and demanded money. The raider left the office and the manager called the Gardaí on her mobile phone.
The raider with the sledge hammer began to bang on the door leading to the post office and eventually broke in through the door. The three raiders went into the post office and threatened the member of staff demanding money. The raiders stole a sum of money and fled from the shop into the Audi car. They turned right out of the car park and drove in the direction of the coast road. The manager ran out to the car park and memorized the registration number of the car.
Gardaí arrived at the scene within minutes and began a search for the car, registration number 00RN3800. The Audi car was located in a field close to the coast road, the car was on fire.
Appeal:
• Shortly before 3.30pm two walkers recall seeing a blue Audi car, registration number 00RN3800 travelling from the direction of Clogherhead Village and turn right into the Ard Na Mara estate and park there for a number of minutes before exiting the estate and travelled towards the village.
• A blue Skoda Octavia was observed near the field where the Audi car was abandoned and set alight. Gardaí believe a woman with distinctive red hair was driving the Skoda car.
• Gardaí are appealing to anyone in the area on Tuesday 3rd May 2016 who may have seen suspicious activity to come forward.
Gardaí at Drogheda Garda Station are investigating, Telephone 041 9874200
On this month’s traffic segment, Garda Derek Cloughley was in studio to discuss the recent Safety Camera Expansion 2016. Despite excellent progress over the last decade or so, road traffic collisions still remain a significant cause of death and injury in Ireland. Each year almost 200 people are killed and close to 6,000 are injured on the Irish road network.
Measures to reduce traffic speed are considered key to reducing casualties on the road. Increasing use of technology is seen as the way forward in the battle against road deaths. In Ireland, speed or safety cameras are one technological innovation used to help reduce traffic speeds, traffic collisions, and casualties. A major expansion of the safety camera network has been underway in Ireland since 2010.