Gardaí launch operation to tackle theft from retailers
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Gardaí have launched a new operation aimed at tackling the scourge of retail crime, which it is estimated costs Irish businesses €1.62bn a year.
Operation Táirge comes on the back of a surge in thefts from shops in towns and cities across the country since the pandemic, and extensive engagement with the Government’s Retail Forum where it was repeatedly highlighted as a serious problem.
Chief Superintendent Padraic Jones, from the Garda National Community Engagement Bureau, said retail crime could be as "basic" as bringing in a rucksack, filling it up and escaping but can also be intricate and planned “through the more organised" criminal groups.
“It can be a network of people coming in distracting shop owners and shopkeepers, and then just infiltrating the shop,” he said.
Chief Supt Jones said some criminal gangs come to Ireland to carry out a “short, concise period” of thefts and leave, but added there were “certainly groups known to us across each region of the country”.
Gardaí said these organised gangs target retailers to steal significant quantities of goods to then sell it back into the retail supply chain through the black market. Furthermore, they said such thefts could have a damaging effect on staff morale, and harm recruitment and retention in the sector.
An Garda Síochána said Operation Táirge will build on other Garda operations from the past such as Operation Thor, which targeted burglaries.
It will use what was described as an “intelligence-led approach” to identify criminals engaging in retail crime, disrupt those groups, and work with retailers to enhance reporting of such crimes, prevention, investigation and prosecution.
It will also conduct analysis to identify hotspots of such crimes and collaborate with retailers to share information.
Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman said the operation would run “very much part of using our existing resources” but in a “targeted and coordinated way”.
“We really want to be in the preventative space as well,” she said. “Coming up to Christmas, it is one of the busiest retail periods. That’s why we’re out here today. This will be one of our operations very much part of our crime prevention strategy month on month.”
Gardaí cited the example of one case, where an individual was believed to be responsible for 23 thefts of alcohol and meat products from specific retailers. Following detailed investigations it became apparent that, in the space of less than a year, the person was responsible for 67 separate incidents in 18 counties across the four Garda divisions.
The person was eventually sentenced to five years in prison, with the last three suspended.
Speaking at the launch, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said such cases of prolific theft provided the judiciary with a “much different approach”.
“This is really about having the full picture when the gardaí go to the courts, making sure that the judiciary have the full facts before them, and that that in itself creates a much different vista from an overall sentencing point of view,” she added.