Shoplifting gangs switch focus to county towns with rail links

Shoplifting gangs are shifting their attention from Cork City centre to county towns connected by the railway.

That’s according to a senior garda who believes the rail accessibility of Midleton and Mallow is proving attractive to the gangs, and he’s warned businesses there to be on alert in the run-up to Christmas.

Chief Superintendent Gerard Dillane, who is in charge of policing in both county towns, made his remarks at a meeting of Cork County Joint Policing Committee (JPC) as he read out the latest crime statistics for the city and county.

He said that between August and October this year there were 599 thefts from shops, up from 546 during the comparable period last year.

“While Cork City accounts for a lot of these there is a worrying increase in Mallow and Midleton,” he said.

Gardaí will be increasing anti-shoplifting patrols in these towns as a result and will be liaising with business owners in an effort to ensure they beef up their own in-house security.

Meanwhile, as part of the fight against crime in West Cork, gardaí are organising a special business watch conference in the Parkway Hotel, Dunmanway on Wednesday, Nov 20, at 7.30pm.

The meeting will be chaired by Chief Superintendent Tom Hayes, who is in charge of the Cork West Garda Division, and the attendance will also include Superintendent Colm O’Sullivan, Detective Inspector Joe Moore and Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Ian O’Callaghan.

Sgt O’Callaghan will give a short presentation on commercial burglary, shoplifting and theft.

Current fraudulent activity will also be discussed as well as new text alert guidelines, cash handling procedures and crime prevention advice.

There will also be a short presentation from ADA Security who installed the community-based CCTV in Kanturk last year and who recently won the tendering process to install the system for Bantry town.

Business owners will then have an opportunity to engage in a question and answer session with the gardaí.