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 Several arrests were made today in connection with organised crime activities and a number of burglaries which have taken place in the Tipperary area over past weeks.
It is understood that up to five individuals, all male, have been arrested by Gardaí from Thurles, Tipperary, Carlow and Dublin.
The Garda raids and subsequent searches following this planned operation, took place in the Dublin and Carlow area this morning.
Five men, understood to be aged between 19 and 50 years, were subsequently arrested and are presently detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007 at various Garda Stations, including stations in County Tipperary.
The Garda Dog Unit, Organised Crime Unit, and Customs Officials are understood to have combined to assist in this planned operation.
 A member of An Garda Síochána is in a critical condition in hospital after being shot a number of times in an attempted mugging, while on holidays in America.
Garda Brian Hanrahan, who is currently based in Newcastle West, Co Limerick, but hales from Killenaule, Co Tipperary, suffered spinal injuries and a bullet wound to the leg.
While news of the shooting is only emerging today; the 32-year old Garda who is a married father-of-one, was attacked in the 7th Ward area of New Orleans just before 5.40am on Monday last.
From reports Mr Hanrahan was approached by a black man armed with a gun. The perpetrator is understood to have demanded money to which the victim, who was holidaying with his father, refused. This refusal resulted with the gunman shooting at his victim multiple times, before the former fled the scene.
The victim and his father were driving across the United States and had stopped only briefly in New Orleans when this gun crime occurred.
Mr Hanrahan’s wife and baby are believed to be still in Ireland presently, but a hospital spokesperson from ILH Interim LSU Hospital in New Orleans to which Mr Hanrahan was rushed, has stated the officer is now stable and recovering well.
ILH Hospital is the major teaching hospital for the Louisiana State University New Orleans Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dental Medicine and Allied Health resident and student training programs, and a major teaching hospital for Tulane University School of Medicine residents and students.
Our thoughts are with his family, friends and working colleagues at this time.
 A Thurles resident found guilty of assaulting his former wife, has been remanded in custody for three weeks after the court heard his victim does not want him sent to prison.
Mr Mihail Lurescu, aged 28, with an address at Mitchel Street, Thurles, Co Tipperary, who is now legally separated with one child, pleaded guilty in court to assaulting his wife at their former abode in Dublin on July 17th, 2013.
It is understood that Mr Lurescu began punching his wife in the head during a prolonged dispute. When the victim attempted to call Gardaí, he told her to clean the blood off her face and taking the phone from her; gave Gardaí the address of their then home. He is understood to have informed his victim that he was going to jail anyway and began to punch her again a number of times to the head, causing a fracture to her cheek bone and severe bruising to her face.
Garda Enda Muldoon told Judge Martin Nolan that after speaking to the victim, he did not believe that the jailing in this case of Mr Lurescu would help their present family situation; to which Judge Nolan stated that he would take into consideration that there was little chance of the defendant re-offending.
However, remanding Mr Lurescu in custody, Judge Martin Nolan stated he wanted Mr Lurescu to seriously consider his present situation and that this time spent in custody would be a warning with regard to embarking on similar behaviour of this kind into the future.
Judge Martin Nolan stated that he would finalise sentencing in three weeks.
Congratulations to Chief Superintendent Catherine Kehoe and her Garda team on the success of their initiative in organising the Tipperary Division Community Policing Seminar, which took place in St Patrick’s College, Cathedral Street, Thurles, Co Tipperary, on Thursday evening last, with a truly massive crowd visiting the event in search of advice; from all over the Premier County.
County Tipperary, like so many Irish counties in recent years, has suffered badly with large increases in the number of residential homes and farm premises being burglarized, particularly in our large towns and but also in our less populated smaller rural communities. For the most part these robberies are the work of criminal gangs taking advantage of Ireland’s fast network of roadways, which allow small time criminal gangs to target these rural and urban areas, returning to in many cases our major cities, often before their criminal activities have even been discovered.
 Pictured Shows L – R: Chief Superintendent Catherine Kehoe, Garda Annette Connolly and Garda Chris Verling who are all leading with the implementation of new policing initiatives for Thurles Town. New Thurles Community Text Alert Scheme
Here in Thurles as a follow up part of this aforementioned Tipperary Division Community Policing Seminar; a meeting will take place this week to launch a new Thurles Community Text Alert Scheme. Same will take place this Wednesday night (January 21st 2015) at 7.30pm in the Anner Hotel, Thurles, Co Tipperary.
Thurles Gardaí are leading this particular community initiative headed up by Chief Superintendent Catherine Kehoe and is being co-ordinated by Garda Annette Connolly, latter who has considerable previous experience in organising Community Text Alert Scheme in other Garda districts.
Speaking with Garda A. Connolly today, latter was at great pains to point out the importance of the Community Text Alert Scheme and extended an open invitation to all the people of Thurles to attend at next Wednesday night’s meeting. “Anywhere that Text Alert Schemes are in operation in Ireland, statistics prove that it works hugely in reducing the levels of crime in all these areas, the fast recovery of stolen goods and the early arrest of those criminals involved,” stated Garda Connolly. “Over 100 people from all over Thurles have already signed up for this Text Alert Scheme, since same was first muted by Thurles Gardaí back in Oct/Nov,” continued Garda Connolly.
The initial cost of signing up to this Community Text Alert Scheme proposed for Thurles, is a meagre €10 Euro per household, per annum for the first year. This sum is used to erect proper signposting in each community area and to cover costs of insurance for those who choose to be involved in assisting the setting up of the scheme and obviously the cost of sending you Text Messages warning you of criminal and other problems which may manifest themselves in your particular “neck of the woods”. As a general rule this initial €10 Euro fee is greatly reduced at the beginning of year two, once the cost of initial signage and other necessities have been adequately put in place.
I understand people who wish to register to be part of a Community Text Alert Scheme can sign up on Wednesday night next at the Anner event or can contact Thurles Garda Station on Telephone 0504-25100 for further information about this new welcome initiative.
Thurles Community Neighbourhood Watch
Meanwhile, also as a follow up part of this aforementioned Tipperary Division Community Policing Seminar, Garda Chris Verling has been busy with the setting up of Community Neighbourhood Watch groups, particularly focusing on recently built estates in Thurles, many of which are now fully participating in such schemes, despite a reluctance to previously participate.
Congratulations and every success to all Thurles Garda personnel involved in leading these very welcome initiatives and to the people of Thurles please do turn out in large numbers to demonstrate your full support.
 Mr David Church, a married father-of-four, who used false identifications to fraudulently claim almost half a million Euro (€478.000) in social welfare payments over the past 12 years, has received a 5 year prison sentence at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today.
Mr Church, with an address at Parnell Street, Dublin 1, who formerly resided at Monadreen, Thurles, Co Tipperary, had faced 199 charges of unlawfully claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance and Rent Allowance from various post offices in the Dublin area, between September 2002 and July 2013.
Mr Church had admitted acquired unlawfully €478,052 from the State, which Judge Martin Nolan confirmed as averaging some €40,000 a year over the period for which his offences took place. The court heard that Mr Church had drunk or gambled most of the money and had no substantial wealth accumulated, when first arrested in July 2013.
The fraudulent offences came to light following the Department of Social Protection’s use of facial recognition software, which had established that the same photo was being used on six other social welfare identities. Investigating Detective Garda Colin Rochford stated that Mr Church had created these false identities by travelling to a Manchester Records Office to obtain birth certificates and for which he had paid £10 in each case.
This facial recognition software had identified four people as having the same photograph, while using the names of Adam Cole, Paul Anthony O’Brien, Derek O’Brien and Darren O’Brien, who were all claiming Social Welfare payments from at least two Dublin post office outlets.
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