THE MANAGER OF a phone shop in Dublin city centre said her staff were left in shock following a daylight robbery by four young men this week.
The four managed to flee the scene after stealing roughly €20,000 worth of mobile phones and iPads from the shop on Capel Street at approximately 3.30pm on Tuesday.
Gardaí have confirmed that they are investigating the robbery, but said that no arrests have been made yet.
Sources said that there had been a string of similar raids of shops in the area over the past two weeks by a group of four male thieves using the same tactics.
At least three incidents are being investigated. The manager of the phone shop told The Journal that she is devastated after the robbery.
“We may have to work for a whole year to make that money back,” she explained.
“They took many of our most expensive items, our newest iPhones and iPads, and even a new Samsung phone we had recently stocked, which sells for over €1,000.
“I just feel really, really upset. We just wanted to function as a normal business. But if we cannot get our stock back, how are we going to keep the business going?”
Shortly before the robbery, a man entered the shop and approached staff at the till at the back of the shop, asking to buy a vape.
The same man then proceeded to block the only staff member in the shop from leaving the till area. While that was happening the three others entered the premises, ripped a glass security door off the wall and stole dozens of high-end products from the front window display.
“They just came in, smashed the windows, got everything and ran away,” the manager, who said she’d prefer not to give her name, explained.
“We lost a total of 27 products. They were really fast, in less than two minutes they had everything they wanted and left”.
The four men quickly fled onto the busy street.
“I hope the gardaí can do something, because it’s a lot of stock lost for a small business. We are getting a small amount of stock for Christmas, but some of our customers have already paid the deposit on items which were stolen,” the manager said.
“We have nothing, no money to order any other products.”
Nearby phone shops in Dublin city centre had also been hit by four male thieves using similar smash-and-grab methods, she said.
The store manager called for increased efforts to tackle crime in Dublin city centre, adding that it was “no longer” a safe place for businesses.
“I don’t want this to keep happening again and again, because the thieves think it’s so easy for them,” the manager said.
Tony Gallagher, a retired garda Inspector, said that robberies such as the recent incident on Capel Street are a growing concern for Dublin businesses.
He added that many business owners feel that Dublin City is “not a safe place” for retail anymore.
“This was a robbery at before four o’clock in the afternoon. This was broad daylight, there’s no deterrent,” Gallagher said.
“The gardaí may have to consider increasing the garda presence in areas vulnerable to such robberies,” Gallagher added.
Tony Gallagher now works with security consultants the Ashtree Risk Group, and has been helping Dublin retailers who experience high levels of theft. He is also the Chairman of Dubhlinn, a Dublin business group representing approximately 100 businesses.
According to Gallagher, business owners in Dublin City have had extra focus on security in recent years due to the rising frequency of theft and robbery.
“It’s frustrating. As a business owner, some people are doing their best to stay open and allow for open browsing, but now the focus seems to be ‘secure your stock at all costs’.”
According to statistics from the CSO, robbery, extortion and hijacking offences rose nationwide earlier this year. 2,572 offences were recorded in the first three months of 2024, a rise of 390 (18%) compared with the same period in 2023.
📊🚨 Alarming Survey Results: 100% of Retailers Hit by Crime in the Past Year 🚨📊#StopRetailCrime #CSNA #Shelflife #SCAR #RetailProtection #GovernmentAction #SupportRetailers #FasterGardaResponse #StopCrimeAgainstRetailers @VincentJenning6 pic.twitter.com/dIym420YQm
— CSNA (@CSNA_Ireland) October 29, 2024
In a survey by the ‘Stop Crime Against Retailers’ campaign, launched by Shelflife and the Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association (CSNA), 100% of retailers reported to have faced some form of crime in the last 12 months.
These crimes include shoplifting, violent robbery, break-ins, and extortion.
Gallagher previously called for Operation Táirge, a nationwide Garda initiative supporting investigations into organised retail crime, to be implemented locally in Dublin city centre.
Operation Táirge, launched by An Garda Síochána in December 2023, uses an “intelligence-led approach” to identify criminals engaging in retail crime, with gardaí aiming to disrupt the most prolific organised crime groups in operation and work with retailers to strengthen their security to prevent thefts and robberies.
Gallagher said that a database could be made of the top offenders to tackle robbery in Dublin.
“I know the top offending shoplifters in Dublin, and the reason why I know them is because I talk to the store managers and the staff,” Gallagher said.
“The staff also know them, so that knowledge is already there. That knowledge should be proved through safety forums, and gardaí should be told who the top 25 offenders are in Dublin”.
A recent Dublin Task Force Report published by the Government to provide an overview of the measures required to rejuvenate Dublin City Centre recommended approval to fund a minimum of 1,000 additional gardaí in Dublin over the next three years.
The report also called for the establishment of a “city warden programme”, which would liaise with local businesses, promote social activities and enforce anti-social behaviour bye laws.
“In cases where gardaí have had time to deal with matters, they have dealt with them very effectively,” Gallagher added.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say