Gardaí concerned over thefts from cars

Gardaí are concerned at a recent rise in thefts of catalytic converters from vehicles — the latest of which were stolen in broad daylight from busy car parks in Co Cork.

A meeting of the Cork County Joint Policing Committee yesterday heard senior gardaí say the gang behind the thefts are expert mechanics and can quickly remove the costly device from an engine compartment.

It isn’t known if they are smuggling the catalytic converters out of the country for resale abroad, or taking them apart and stripping out valuable titanium which they then sell off.