Crime Prevention

On this month’s Crime Prevention, Sergeant Graham Kavanagh was in studio to offer advice and tips in relation to issues of sheep worrying and causing injury to people.

Issue:

Lambing season occurs during January/February and results in around four hundred incidents per annum with three to four thousand sheep being killed.

These incidents include walker(s), runner(s) and cyclist(s) being bitten by dogs that are allowed to roam free. These incidents cause financial loss to the farming community as well as distress to those involved.

Advice to the public: 

Local authorities are responsible and may under the control of dogs act appoint wardens to provide shelters, seize dogs, impose fines and take court proceedings. 

Dog owners must have a licence and keep the dog under effective control it outside the house or premises. Owners are liable for injury or damage caused by their dog to people or livestock. Since 2015 it is compulsory to have a dog microchipped. They also should wear a collar with the owners name and address. 

Stray dogs are dogs that are in a public and unaccompanied by the owner. If your dog is strayed or missing contact your local dog pound directly to check if it is there. If you have an unwanted dog contact the local Irish society for the prevention of cruelty to animals’ branch, dog pounds/charities and your local authority.