Ireland has the highest crime rate in Europe

[emma]

i see where bertie...mcdowell... and the garda commisioner had an emergy meeting about the problem.......just as well they are not firemen.......dublin city would have to be engulfed by a firestorm inferno before they would even notice a fire

[whinge]

Well the classic is, my husband is from New Jersey & lived for 4 years in the Bronx, first time he got mugged was his first few months in Ireland.

What's even sadder is we stopped going out in town, aside from the fact that we're broke but also because of the accent he gets the drunken brunt of anyone with anti-American sentiments (there are a lot!). (Obviously it's because he personally elected George Bush - he can't f'n stand the guy!).

I'm getting more & more disillusioned about bringing up my two kids here. It's a laugh when you consider moving to the U.S. (certain states) because their crime rates & house prices are lower than ours.

[Mark]

Sorry to hear about the mugging, but its such a common thing in ireland most people dont even bother reporting it anymore. The crime problem here has been very bad for a long time, but the government and interested parties play it down and put out bullshit about a safe country. Sadly as you and your husband have found out first hand it's a criminals paradise. The anti american thing is another issue, but i feel sorry for americans who never voted for bush. I have sympathy for your husband as anti americanism is very strong at the moment which is understandable.

[whinge]

Thanks.

Anyhow, something just affected things, looks like we're moving anyway. Got refused outline planning on a small plot of land between my Dad & my aunts (offered to keep us in Ireland). Reason being though the family are there 40 years (we spent 6 years in a council house before my Dad built at the end of the acre) I don't have enough ties with the area - wtf?

Also, they have a concern with sewage, though we did state that we were willing to complete any recommendations offered by the planning authority to build there (common tank), as otherwise we were priced out of the property market & would be forced to move to the U.S. We've done council housing here & lasted 6 months, I'd prefer to live in Iraq than get back on the list.

Engineer advised that we can try again, but we will need to treat it like a campaign, enlist a TD, and risk refusal the first few times (girl down the road got approved after 5 applications for full pp).

Ireland, great place to be from, but not to live in.

It's a feckin' joke.

[rapper]

Dublin is the only place in the world where the police looked scared when patrolling the street. That is on the rare occasion you will actually see them

[Earl Flemm]

Hi, I'm new to this forum and one of those damn Yanks as well. I was thinking of coming over to see where all my ancestors came from and find out why they all got kicked out. Is the crime that bad? Is it just in Dublin or all over Ireland? You guys are scaring me. It can't be any worse than it is in the states can it? There's only about 4 million or so of ya. You all can't be thugs can ya ?

[whinge]

Hi Earl, just make sure that you come in a group, that's all. In the ordinary scheme of things you should be ok, but I would be more inclined to recommend the likes of Galway or Cork as the best places to go in terms of likelihood of anything happening.

I'm not a thug by the way, I'm lovely.

Give me your money!

[Mark]

Hi earl, there is serious crime problem throughout ireland and dublin is particularly bad. The trouble with ireland is the authorities like to underplay the problem and pretend it is not as bad as it actaully is. 10 reported rapes for instance took place in the few days over christmas in dublin which is indicative of the serious law and order issue here. But many here like to believe the myth that ireland is the safest country in the west when clearly almost the opposite is true. It also has to be said however that most visitors that come here do so without encoutering any problems. Once you excercise basic common sense in relation to personal safety you really shoudn't have any problems. At risk are those coming to ireland believing ireland doesnt suffer a major crime problem.

[emma]

other countries will acknowledge their crime problem.....the problem is ireland doesnt......

[Earl Flemm]

Thanks for confirming for me. Any areas around Dublin I should make sure not to show up at. I need to go to the Guiness plant. That's the equivilent of a Muslim going to Mecca for me. It's the holy land. So, If I need so show up armed to make it in there safely I will. Just warning you.

[Rockdolphin]

My advice would be to see the Guiness brewery and then get out of Dublin altogether. If you have to stay there be alert no matter where you are or what time of the day. Avoid the City Centre after dark especially the O'Connell street area and the quays.

[whinge]

On the subject of reported rapes, my GP who is also my friend, volunteers at a rape crisis centre. She said that sometimes the girls that come in can't proceed because she can't get an adequate sample according to the parameters she is supplied with by the law. She finds it extremely disheartening but feels the need to be involved.

Another rumour circulating is in regard to the gangland feuds in a particular neighbourhood in major Irish city where apparently women are being repeatedly raped and not reporting it because of threats against family members or their kids.

Gives me the worst case of the heebee jeebees.

[Mark]

The true figures for rape in this country must be horrific. It is generally an under reported crime anyway, but in shambolic ireland i would guess women would have little faith in the authorities here and with good reason.

[emma]

the womans aid hotline for woman suffering domestic violence is overwhelmed......they cannot answer all the calls they get......this says something doesn't it

[whinge]

Well, it's all settled now, the crime is high, the cost of living is high, we were just told we'd never get planning on the plot my aunt offered us (only way we'll be able to afford to build) as the subdivision would cut her plot too short, yadayadayada.

So we're all upping sticks and moving to Ohio, houses in good neighbourhoods starting at equivalent of €97,000 for 1300 sq ft 3 bdr houses (those'd be the smaller ones), would be on the same wages, the crime is LOWER in the area we will settle in, my family all are busy doing their own thing, my in laws are fab, so asta la vista baby, I won't be back.