Over 30 arrests and 11 charges as part of two-day garda operation

As part of Operation Thor, a two-day plan of action was conducted by gardaí and  33 arrests were made

Pictured: Garda at a checkpoint. As part of Operation Thor, there were also 26 checkpoints and 19 person or vehicle searches.

Over 30 arrests were made while more than €26k worth of drugs were seized by gardaí as part of an operation to tackle an anticipated increase in burglaries and associated criminal activity during winter months.

Operation Thor, which is a two-day plan of action, was conducted in the Meath Division and began on 19 November, concluding on 21 November 2021.

Gardaí said the operation is designed to tackle the rising number of burglaries and corresponding criminal activity that is expected in winter by undertaking targeted enforcement and preventative activity.

The operation involved a number of different elements including high visibility crime patrols, checkpoints and the detection of indictable theft-related criminal offences.

Overall, 33 arrests were conducted for warrants, planned arrests and drug detections resulting in 11 charges.

As part of Operation Thor, 17 bench warrants were executed and 15 planned arrests, resulting in detections for 10 theft offences, one road traffic offence, three drug offences and one count of fraud. 

In addition, six planned drugs searches were conducted by the Divisional Drug Unit resulting in three offences.

The operation also saw the seizure of €11,930 worth of cannabis, €14,565 worth of cocaine and cash to the value of €1,615.

With 26 checkpoints and 19 person or vehicle searches, five vehicles were also detained, with three road traffic offences detected.

Gardaí said that the operation has successfully reduced the rate of winter burglaries with a significant decline since its introduction in 2015.

Statistics show a reduction in burglary and related offences in 2020 which were down by 34.7% when compared to 2019.

The downward trend continues in 2021, with official crime statistics for Q2 2021 showing a continuing reduction in burglary and related offences which are down by 37.2% compared to the same period in 2020.