Spike in thefts from Cork city shops over the first two months of this year

THEFTS from shops in Cork city increased by more than 30% in the first two months of 2024 compared with the same period last year, with sports shops being particularly targeted by shoplifters.

A meeting of the Cork City Joint Policing Committee (JPC) today heard that while some property crime offences have experienced a decline, there has been an uptick in theft from shops with 418 instances between January 1 and February 29 this year.

This compares with 315 instances over the same period last year, marking a 33% increase.

“Thefts from shops is causing us a serious problem,” said chief superintendent Tom Myers at the meeting.

“Our analysis is telling us that quite a lot of offences have taken place in sport shops,” he said.

“We have a new crime prevention officer in the city, Sergeant Michael O’Connell, he’s working very proactively at the moment with the sports shops around the city centre.”

Superintendent John Deasy, based at Anglesea Street Garda Station, echoed these sentiments.

Opportunists

“Shoplifting is a big challenge for us at the moment,” he said.

“We have opportunists that are taking, in particular, as the chief has said, expensive sporting equipment and clothing.”

Other items being stolen from other outlets in the city include alcohol, cosmetics, and perfumes, said Supt Deasy.

“Sometimes, the shoplifting is by people that have other problems and they take items that they can sell on afterwards.”

Supt Deasy said arrests are being made, stressing that gardaí are taking the matter “very, very seriously”.

“We’ve had a lot of successes, I would say, but it is never-ending because once we deal with one or two, there’s somebody else takes their place. But we try every day to have a presence in the city,” he added.

Meanwhile, the rates of some property crime offences have fallen in the first two months of the year, including theft/the unauthorised taking of a vehicle (-4%); theft from a vehicle (-3%), and theft/the unauthorised taking of a push bike (-16%).