GARDAÍ HAVE ARRESTED almost 7,000 people over the past 18 months under Operation Fiacla, which was set up to target people carrying out burglaries across Ireland.

Almost 4,000 people have been charged as part of the operation, gardaí have revealed.

The figures were released ahead of a  policing conference for senior Garda management in Templemore over the next two days to discuss major operational policing matters.

Gardaí say the targeted operation has been reflected in the most recent crime statistics from the Central Statistics Office which saw a reduction in twelve out of fourteen crime categories nationwide.

Operation Fiacla – with fiacla being the Irish word for ‘teeth’ –  was set up in 2012 and has been praised by Minister for Justice Alan Shatter for tackling the problem of burglaries.

Senior gardaí will also discuss roads policing and community-oriented policing during their two-day meeting.

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