Look out for yourself, your loved ones, and your property
Firstly, our thoughts are with the Ronan family as they come to terms with what must have been a traumatic experience for them earlier this week at the hands of tiger kidnappers.
We hear of these raids on a weekly basis but we never think that it could happen close enough to our own doorstep. For most people who have not gone through what this family has experienced, it is difficult to understand the fear and the depth of trauma that this experience will leave on this family. It is unthinkable and incredible that these raids are becoming as regular as a common house burglary.
Yesterday the minister met with the financial institutions in an effort to thrash out how bank officials can be protected from this type of crime. And it appears obvious that the only way to deal with it is to ensure that the majority of staff members have no access to large sums of money. Ordinary bank officials are certainly not paid enough to deal with the stresses that accompany the possibility of having your family kidnapped and although one would hope it would never happen, it is clearly becoming more common.
These gangs are not local and it is well known that the money that they get away with in some incidences is used to buoy up the criminal underworld which keeps the drugs and arms culture alive and kicking in this country. It is evident that when the gang this week did not stay around to collect the few hundred thousand that was offered to them, that they have much bigger fish to fry and if they are not getting top dollar, it isn’t worth their while.
Unfortunately this is not an opportunistic crime, and one of the most frightening thoughts is that a family can be under surveillance for months prior to the event. It is extremely disconcerting for anyone to think that they have been watched.
The powers that be — and that includes the gardaí, the courts, the Government, and the heads of the financial institutions — need to do everything possible to catch these low-lives and put them behind bars for a sufficiently long time, that it will deter them from partaking in this horrific crime again in the future.
In the meantime, it is sad to say it, we cannot be too careful about our personal security and that of our loved ones and our property. We need to be vigilant and report anything or anyone acting suspiciously in our neighbourhoods. The gardaí are only too happy to check out a concern from the public and they encourage the public to do so. We need to look out for each other, especially elderly relatives, friends, and neighbours who do not have the wherewithal to stave off criminals who threaten them in their homes.
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