Within the walls of Anglesea Street Garda Station in Cork City, a wide range of offenses are logged weekly, including sexual assaults, drug crimes, property damage, and burglaries.
However, thefts and public order offenses dominate the crime reports, making up almost two-thirds of the 3,328 offenses recorded at the city center station last year.
Central Statistics Office data shows that Anglesea Street is the busiest of the 14 Garda stations in the Cork City division.
Following our courts coverage in June, the ‘Irish Examiner’ is now delving into crime data from Cork Garda stations in our series, both in print and online here on Monday and Tuesday, August 4 and 5.
The official population served by Anglesea Street Garda Station is just 9,049. However, the station, as the divisional headquarters for Cork city and county, plays a larger role in policing the wider city and suburbs.
Compared nationally, the crime statistics for Cork city center are significantly elevated. The total number of crimes reported to gardaí at Anglesea Street is 800% higher than the national average for Garda stations.
Reported Crimes by Garda Station in 2024
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Cork North / West Divisions
Excluding the Bridewell and Watercourse Rd stations, crime reports at other Cork city Garda stations were below the national average.
For example, Passage West recorded just 78 crimes last year, 73% below the national average. These included five burglaries, six drug offenses, and seven public order incidents. No thefts were recorded.
In stark contrast, Anglesea Street Garda Station received 1,309 reports of thefts out of the 3,328 crimes recorded last year.
There were also 852 public order offenses, a trend also seen at the other two stations in the city’s center.
The Bridewell handled 1,743 crime reports last year, including 696 thefts and 361 public order incidents.
At Watercourse Rd, over 1,500 crimes were logged, with 537 thefts and 219 public order offenses.
In Blackrock, on the city’s eastern outskirts, thefts were the most reported crime at 90, followed by property damage, out of 599 total.
Similarly, theft was the most reported crime at Gurranabraher and Blarney Garda stations, followed by property damage.
Solicitor Shane Collins-Daly, a criminal law specialist, said that the high crime rate in the city center is expected.
“The city center courts are certainly busy, more so than five or ten years ago,” he said.
“The increasing population and the accommodation crisis are leading to homelessness. People end up in city center shelters, which do great work, but this concentrates vulnerable people in areas where drink, drugs, and retail outlets are readily available.”
He identified antisocial behavior “hotspots”.
“Areas like Parnell Place, Lower Oliver Plunkett St, around the GPO, Grand Parade, and Sullivan’s Quay are problematic. The city center is compact, and the two homeless shelters are close to those troubled areas.”
Sharon Lambert, a senior lecturer at UCC’s School of Applied Psychology, also said that theft and public order are prevalent due to social issues affecting the area, including homelessness and addiction.
Ms. Lambert, a council member of the Psychological Society of Ireland, said: “The statistics reflect the growing wealth gap in Ireland, with increasing poverty and housing insecurity.”
“We have record homelessness and long waiting lists for health services.”
“It’s recommended to allocate 10% of the health budget to mental health. Ireland has never achieved this.”
“The percentage has fallen from 6% to 5.6%, according to Mental Health Reform.”
“To tackle crime, we need to provide for citizens’ health, housing, and education needs.”
Reinforcing these perspectives, a recent analysis of over 5,000 court reports published in the and (2020-2024) found that theft was the most common offense.
Homeless people received almost a quarter of the jail sentences handed down in Cork City during that period.
Mr. Collins-Daly sees this firsthand in the courts: “We increasingly see people with significant social challenges like homelessness, addiction, and mental health issues, often in combination.”
“While COVID-19 made it more noticeable, we see many people with mental health and addiction difficulties that exacerbate each other.”
He described a case where a man with mental health issues was arrested for a public order offense and remanded in custody for several months, receiving prison psychiatric care.
Efforts to secure therapeutic bail to transfer him to a secure mental health facility were unsuccessful.
Mr. Collins-Daly stated this was someone “essentially being held in custody because of a lack of an alternative”.
This is not an isolated incident.
“It’s due to a lack of inpatient and outpatient mental health services.”
Addiction is driving crimes in Cork city center, according to Mr. Collins-Daly.
Thefts commonly involve alcohol, “theft of essentials,” and easily sellable items to feed addiction.
“Sometimes high-value items like perfume, jewelry, Yankee candles, and football jerseys are stolen and sold.”
Recently, meat has also become a target.
“Steaks, in particular, are being stolen, likely to get money to buy drink or drugs. It is an unusual one.”
He notes anecdotal evidence of crack cocaine use in the city center.
“Addiction manifests differently now. Years ago with heroin, the influence was obvious. Now, people are more agitated and hyper, showing more irritation in court.”
The number of gardaí in Cork city center stations has decreased sharply in recent years.
Anglesea Street Garda Station had 244 gardaí in May, down from 326 in December 2019.
Staffing at the Bridewell has risen only slightly, from 25 in 2019 to 27 in May.
However, these figures show a drop from 40 in December 2021 to 27 this year.
The allocation of officers at Watercourse Rd, the city’s third-busiest station, fell from 37 in 2019 to 31 in May.
Overall, Cork city’s Garda numbers have fallen from 730 in December 2021 to 663 in May.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin recently said that Cork will receive 20 new probationer gardaí from the next Garda College graduation this month.
However, An Garda Síochána would not confirm the allocation, telling the : “An Garda Síochána only publishes detailed information on trainee allocations upon graduation. The next ceremony is scheduled for the end of August.”
Local Cork City retailer Kevin Herlihy said there has been a noticeable increase in Garda presence in the city center recently.
“There has been some improvement, but the level of gardaí on the street is still not enough,” he said.
“While there has been a slight increase in foot patrols, antisocial behavior persists. I spend a lot on security weekly to protect staff.”
Mr. Herlihy said the reopening of the former Debenhams/Roches Stores building on St Patrick’s Street will improve the city center, making it more visually appealing.
Last year, amid safety concerns, the Leave A Light On initiative, supported by the Cork Business Association and Cork Nighttime Economy, was launched.
Businesses received small grants to keep their lights on at night to create safer, cleaner city streets.
The association is working with Cork City Council and gardaí to recruit four community wardens.
This pilot program is funded by the Department of Justice and Cork City Council.
The wardens “will serve as a welcoming and visible presence, engaging with the public and visitors, supporting businesses, and helping to maintain a clean, safe, and inviting environment” for all who visit, live, or work in Cork City.
In its pre-budget submission, the business group called for increased Garda numbers in the city center.
The submission also requests a review of the court system to explore alternatives to Garda duty in court, such as using affidavits, so that more gardaí can be returned to frontline duties in Cork City.
Clara O’Neill, chairwoman of the Cork 2030 Committee, which oversees retail and safety & cleanliness in the Cork Business Association, said they “have long campaigned for a stronger Garda presence as a key element of a safe city.”
When initial data indicated surprisingly low theft figures, the Cork Business Association launched a targeted campaign urging retailers to report all theft incidents, even small ones (as low as €2), which many had previously deemed not worth logging.
As a result, she said, there has been a significant rise in the number of reported thefts, but this is not “necessarily a surge in crime rates”.
