THERE is a huge need for a serious multi-pronged agency response to tackle the rampant crime that is the absolute scourge of our small country.

The full agencies of the State – Gardaí, Revenue, Social Welfare – must be harnessed in a co-ordinated crackdown on these faceless criminals who are inflicting untold hardship on individuals, families and businesses nationwide.

On Monday, three riders out enjoying a hunt in Co Meath come back to the meet point to find themselves the hapless victims of an organised gang of thieves who stole their three vehicles and a horsebox in broad daylight.

That property, which has a six-figure replacement value sum, has not been seen since.

On Tuesday, a Co Kildare family put expensive new rugs on their horses, mindful of the cold snap. The rugs were only on their horses a few hours when whipped off by thieves.

On Thursday, RTE’s Prime Time aired an in-depth investigation into the widescale rip-off of tools and equipment going on nationwide in a massive criminal trade between Britain and Ireland.

Crime victims were officially advised to go and seek out their own property and then alert the Gardai if they spotted it.

Earlier this week, the force suddenly apologised for its botched investigation into the 1984 Kerry Babies saga. The nation was told 20 handpicked detectives were now assigned to this historical case.

What’s next – the 1983 mystery case of Shergar?

VITAL CASE

Last week the Labour Court threw out the appeal by the flagship Ballydoyle Racing operation against the Workplace Relations Commission’s investigation of its staff’s working and holiday time.

Racing used to be regarded as an agricultural activity and so was historically exempt from the relevant Working Time Act but somewhere along the way in recent years – and it has never been established exactly by who or when that came about – that status changed.

Despite Aidan O’Brien taking time out of his hectic schedule to get into the witness box and recount how his staff didn’t actually even want the days off assigned to them, and wanted to work more hours, that counted for nothing.

It is good to see Ballydoyle galloping off to the High Court and the eventual outcome of that case will be watched closely by just about everyone in the sport horse sector.

Whatever about world-class operations like Ballydoyle and Coolmore being able to comply with the Working Time Act provisions, could the same really be said of the myriad of smaller equine operations that dot every parish across Ireland?

Make no mistake about it, when that case goes before the High Court, the ruling will affect every yard in the country.