Three youths arrested after multiple vehicle thefts in Wicklow

A man dressed in black with a balaclava on his head trying to break into the car. He uses a screwdriver.

Gardaí in Wicklow have arrested three male youths following the theft of a "number of vehicles near Rathnew in the early hours of this morning.

All three were detained at a garda station in Wicklow - but they are since been released, with a garda spokesperson confirming it was pending a referral to the Garda Youth Diversion programme.

The vehicles involved in the thefts were imported from outside the European market.

The spokesperson said: "Gardaí would like to remind the public of the security vulnerabilities associated with such vehicles.

"Earlier this year, statistics from An Garda Síochána showed a growth in Car Theft / Unauthorised Taking of a Vehicle offences. This is driven by the theft of second-hand imported cars from outside Europe, and may be due to the lack of security features in the most commonly stolen imported vehicles."

Examples of a lack of these features included no fitted immobiliser or a car alarm system not being fully installed - making these vehicles extremely vulnerable to hot-wiring.

In some cases, models which have keyless ignitions have been stolen 

General vehicle security advice is:

• Do not leave valuables on show Lock doors and fully close windows 
• Fit an alarm 
• Retrofit an Immobiliser or use a physical lock Install a tracker 
• Use physical security features such as a steering wheel lock and catalytic converter lock 
• Fit theft-resistant number plate fittings 
• Park under streetlights 
• Park where there is CCTV when possible