Shoplifting incidents in Meath up 43 per cent on last year

Crime statistics show that there has been a massive 43 per cent increase in the number of shoplifting offences recorded in Meath over the past year.

The latest statistics released, which are for the second quarter of this year, show there were 304 incidents of thefts from shops in the Meath Garda Division during the three-month period. For the same period last year, this figure was 212- an increase of 43 per cent.

For the year up to the end of the second quarter of 2023, a shocking 965 incidents of thefts from shops were recorded- up from 672 the previous year. Again this amounts to a 43 per cent increase year-on-year. Looking at theft and related offences as a whole for the year in 2022 recorded in the larger Garda stations, Navan Garda station recorded the greatest number of offences at 666, up from 392 in 2021. Ashbourne cases jumped from 221 in 2021 to 318 last year while Laytown cases went from 185 to 253.

In Kells, theft and related offences recorded in 2021 stood at 64 but grew to 106 last year.

Cases in Dunboyne fell from 143 in 2021 to 102 last year while figures for Trim also recorded a decrease from 167 in 2021 to 83 last year.

Meanwhile, Detective Superintendnet David Nolan of the Meath Westmeat Division has outlined that a Garda operation targeting organised retail theft is underway.

"Operation Táirge" which began on Monday,11th December, supports investigations into organised retail theft, which is particurlary affecting businesses in the run-up to Christmas.

Detective Superintendent Nolan is asking all retailers in Meath and Westmeath to engage with Gardai on Christmas patrols in towns and villages, to work together to reduce retail theft this Christmas.

So far this year, Gardai say there is already is a 14 per cent increase in incidences of organised retail crime offences and that business owners are particularly affected by this spike in crime in the run up to the festive season.

Chief Superintendent Padraic Jones of the Garda National Community Engagement Bureau said: "Organised retail crime (ORC) poses a significant threat to the viability of Irish retailers including Irish small and medium enterprises which are a core element of Ireland’s economy.

"Gardaí are doing vital work in keeping our communities safe and Operation Táirge will play a key role in ensuring our retailers and their staff are protected from organised crime and the harm that it can do to their business. We are sending a clear message that there is no place for retail crime in Ireland.”

"We want business owners and staff to feel protected and safe from this kind of criminality, and we will continue to work closely with them in whatever way possible. Most essential is that we utilise our ongoing intelligence gathering to target and take out these groups – they’re no longer operating under any radar and they will be caught,” said Chief Supt Jones.

The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association estimate that retail crime costs retailers over of €1.62 billion each year. Additionally, the Global Retail Theft Barometer indicates that Ireland has the highest cost per capita of retail crime (€339.31) - significantly more than both second and third placed countries, Iceland and Denmark.