Surge in youths taking 'unlocked' cars for spins around Cork city, says Garda

Gardaí say there are not enough youth detention spaces in Ireland to combat a surge in car theft and thefts from cars across Cork city.

Cork gardaí are urging people to lock their vehicles and remove all valuables because a group of youths is targeting residential estates across the city and its suburbs.

There have been several reports of stolen vehicles and thefts from vehicles in recent weeks, with a particular increase at the end of last month, according to Sergeant Michael O’Connell, of Anglesea St Garda Station.

Speaking to The Echo, Sgt O’Connell said an operation has been put in place to tackle the surge, but as the individuals involved are in their mid- to late teens, there is “a process to follow”.

“We have a unit out there trying to track these guys, and we have been successful in catching a number of them, bringing them before the courts and charging them,” said Sgt O’Connell.

But, he added: “Some of them have spent a little bit of time in custody, but there’s not enough room.”

Sgt O’Connell noted that the Oberstown detention centre is the only detention centre for in the country for children.

The garda said that while the group of young opportunistic criminals currently targeting cars in Cork are non-violent, vehicle-related theft has become “an issue” in the city.

“These individuals are travelling the city suburbs, covering the northside, southside, east and west in the evening time,” said Sgt O’Connell.

“They walk through estates, they try cars, and if they gain access, they take things.

“Examples of things taken would be cash, credit and debit cards, laptops, headphones, and phones.

“We had one example where someone got into a car, opened the glovebox, got €50 out of the centre console and a set of headphones — they tried them on, took a look at themselves, shook their head and put them back.

“They didn’t throw them away, they just didn’t like the look of them or the colour, and placed them back inside — but we later valued those headphones at €250.

“We understand people are busy with their lives, but we’re appealing for people to take a moment when they come home to make sure their cars are locked.

“With a lot of modern cars, when the wing mirrors are out, the chances are they’re open and that indicates to these individuals to try — but we’ve seen from CCTV and doorbell footage that if the door is locked, they’ll keep going.”

Sgt O’Connell also said these youths will typically target non-European imports for joyrides, as they have fewer preventative mechanisms than European models.

“Cork is a safe place generally, but these are the cars that have been broken into with the objective of stealing them,” said Sgt O’Connell.

“These cars don’t have any immobilisers so they’re the cars they go after.

“With a simple implement like a screwdriver, they can be hot-wired, so having a steering or gear lock will stop them from breaking into the car.

“Once they get the car, they’ll use it for a couple of days or a couple of hours, they’ll go to a petrol station, fill it, and drive off without paying — so that’s another crime.

Sgt O’Connell said the cars are often found parked in a residential or urban areas. “They don’t look for a chase, they don’t crash it or burn it – they see it as something they can use again, so they park it properly to draw less attention”.

“They’re not trashing cars, they’re not damaging them — they’re like stealth missiles.”

Sgt O’Connell said this is a “crime of opportunity that can be prevented” if more motorists ensured their cars were properly secured.