THE NUMBER OF burglaries nationwide dropped 23% in November and December as gardaí conducted its winter phase of Operation Thor.
Officers said the number of burglaries had been steadily rising across the country but that with the introduction of the winter phase initiative, these figures dropped significantly.
The decreases are as follows:
It has been established in Ireland and elsewhere that a surge in burglaries of about 20% is likely to arise in the winter months. As a preventative measure, officers said they targeted organised crime gangs before the winter months arrived.
A key part of the winter phase of Operation Thor, according to gardaí, has been the targeting of gangs involved in burglaries. In recent weeks, members of the gangs have been arrested on various occasions in circumstances where high-powered get-away vehicles were “identified and intercepted”.
Gardaí also said they had apprehended 10 targets who have recently been arrested in the course of Operation Thor. Between them, they had accumulated a total of 155 criminal convictions.
Assistant Commissioner, Special Crime Operations, John O’Driscoll said: “We are particularly aware of the vulnerability of older people for whom a burglary can be a very traumatic experience and we are determined to identify and apprehend those who exploit their vulnerability.
“The positive start to the winter phase of Operation Thor is encouraging and we intend achieving more success throughout the remaining months.”
Earlier this week, Assistant Commissioner O’Driscoll met with the most senior detectives in each garda region to review activity undertaken to date under Operation Thor and plan additional actions to be taken in 2018. The Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) was also represented at the meeting.
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