GARDAÍ need to work harder to identify the causes of crime, if we are going to prevent, not just react to, incidents, Green Party councillor Lorna Bogue has said.

Ms Bogue made her comments following a Joint Policing Committee meeting at which the latest garda figures for the Cork City division were revealed.

Robbery from the person increased by 82%, from 56 incidents to 102 cases, across the city, with minor assault increasing across the past six months.

Minor assaults are up from 786 to 933 and assault causing harm is up from 210 to 245, on comparative figures from 2018 to 2019.

In response to these figures, gardaí cited their targeted operations and said they have arrested juveniles who were involved in thefts and robberies from other juveniles.

Some are before the courts now and others are being dealt with under the juvenile diversion scheme.

Ms Bogue said the systemic causes of these increases, and prevention measures, were more important than the investigation into criminal activity.

“Where is it coming from and what is it linked to?” Ms Bogue asked. “Is there a correlation with the increase in drug busts?”

According to the latest garda statistics, cultivation or manufacture of drugs has seen a 75% increase, from four to seven cases between 2018 and 2019.

Ms Bogue, who is running as a general election candidate in Cork South Central, said that it is very easy to call criminals thugs and scumbags and demand that the book be thrown at them, but it is important to have the conversation of why people are turning to crime.

“It is reassuring to see progress being made in the investigation of crime, but it doesn’t solve the problem,” she said.

Ms Bogue added that crime was an issue that was being mentioned a lot on the doors during election canvassing.