A campaign by Edenderry, Co Offaly, for a 24-hour Garda presence in the town has been stepped up following several raids on business premises.
The town's proximity to Dublin, less than 40 miles away, and the absence of round-the-clock Garda cover have resulted in a "free ride" for criminals who target Edenderry after 2 a.m., it is claimed.
"Every second business premises has been broken into here over the last 12 months," complained Mr Tom O'Connell, chairman of the town commissioners.
Mr O'Connell, who runs an auctioneering and furniture business in the main street, spent £2,000 repairing doors and windows after a break-in at his premises last year. He believes most of the criminals travel from Dublin.
"The problem is there are no gardai on duty here after 2 a.m. You have to ring Tullamore station, and it takes a minimum of half-an-hour to get from there to here if a patrol car is ready to leave on the spot. Within that time criminals have done the damage and will be back in the city by the time the gardai arrive here," he said.
He added that local people, "sick and tired" of the situation, had urged the town commissioners to do something. They wrote to the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, earlier this year and were informed their concerns had been passed to An Garda Siochana.
A letter from the Assistant Commissioner of Human Resource Management and Research at Garda Headquarters said personnel in Edenderry was continually monitored but it gave no commitment, saying:
"The extension of the current opening hours to 24 hours would necessitate the employment of Garda personnel on indoors administrative duties. Such personnel can be utilised more effectively in providing a visible Garda presence on outdoor policing duties."
Mr O'Connell said this response was totally unsatisfactory, and the commissioners now want a meeting with the senior officer for the area, Chief Supt Kevin Donohue.
Mr John Foley, a Fianna Fail town commissioner, said his grocery shop was broken into three weeks ago and three men in balaclavas were in the main street for 20 minutes, while an eyewitness tried to contact gardai in Tullamore.
The gardai were doing a great job, he said, but there just wasn't enough of them. The rise in population alone in Edenderry was reason for increased manning levels. The town has a population of about 5,000, but this is set to grow significantly, with up to 2,000 planning applications on hold pending infrastructural developments.
A supermarket-owner, Mr Peter Brady, described how four men in balaclavas drilled through the shutters of his premises, again in the main street, about two months ago and got away with cigarettes worth £5,000. One of them threw a rock at him and threatened to kill him. The raiders, he added, were professional criminals from Dublin. The registration of their getaway vehicle was blanked out and they cut the town's telephone lines and the alarm to his property before breaking in.
Another trader, Mr Dermot Hall, who runs a menswear shop in the main street, had his premises raided in November. The alarm went off at 3.20 a.m. and when he called Tullamore Garda station he was told no patrol car was available as they were busy in Tullamore on the night. He said no garda called until the next afternoon, 12 hours later.
Chief Supt Donohue confirmed he was anxious to increase the Garda presence in Edenderry but said it would mean taking officers from elsewhere. Garda levels in his area had been reduced earlier this year to provide cover at the Border to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease, an operation which was ongoing.
He was conscious, he said, that Edenderry was "a fair distance" from Tullamore (21 miles) and only 37 miles from Dublin. Break-ins were now common in all places within striking distance of Dublin, not just Edenderry, he said.