PEOPLE IN COMMUNITIES across Ireland have expressed concerns and fear over spates of burglaries in their areas.

An RTÉ Prime Time programme due to air tonight looks into the problem of repeat burglary offenders and the impact of criminal gangs on communities.

The programme will review CCTV footage of different incidents.

In one incident, a group of men were recently chased by a group of locals – some of whom were armed - following a house burglary in County Leitrim.

The incident occurred in Newtowngore earlier this month.

Local publican Gerry Gorby disturbed burglars as they ransacked his home in the village.

Customers at the pub and others pursued the getaway car, which crashed a short distance away from the crime.

“A good gang of lads got out even the local gun club got out with lights, tried to pursue them through the fields for about four hours in all,” Gorby told RTÉ Prime Time.

They were looking in all the fields around the area to try and get them.

When questioned whether some of the locals were armed, Gorby said they were.

“We don’t know that would have happened if we came across them, that’s the frightening thing for them and for the other people in pursuit of them,” he said.

RTÉ also went on patrol with gardaí in Laois Offaly where a taskforce has been set up to tackle burglary.

Despite garda statistics late last year which indicated that burglaries were decreasing, one interviewee tells the programme that some gardaí the issue had reached “epidemic levels”.

 RTÉ Prime Time – Serial Offenders airs  tonight on RTÉ One at 9.35pm

Read: Dart delayed as fight breaks out over tissue selling scam

Read: Armed robber jailed after holding up shop when gardaí were in the back looking at CCTV footage