Retailers Under Siege: Kildare Grapples With 9% Surge In Shop Thefts Amidst Overall Crime Spike

Theft from shop incidents has shown a notable increase.

The latest crime and traffic statistics released by the Kildare Division highlight significant shifts in property crime rates, with a specific focus on criminal activities affecting retail establishments.

Theft from shop incidents has shown a notable increase, rising from 352 cases in Q3 2022 to 385 in Q3 2023.

This represents a 9% uptick in reported incidents.

Notable changes in property crime rates have been documented for the third quarter of 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022.

The report reveals a total of 910 property crimes in Q3 2023, marking a 13% increase from the 807 incidents reported during the same quarter in 2022.

Kildare District saw a 30% increase in property crimes, rising from 280 incidents in Q3 2022 to 364 in Q3 2023.

Naas reported a 9% increase, with the number of incidents climbing from 240 to 261.

In contrast, Leixlip District experienced a marginal decrease of 1%, with reported incidents dropping from 287 to 285.

There was a decrease in possession of offensive weapons, which dropped from 27 incidents in Q3 2022 to 16 in Q3 2023, representing a significant 41% reduction.

Additionally, possession of a firearm remained stable, with only a marginal change from 2 incidents to 1.

There was a 4% uptick in total criminal damage and public order incidents during the third quarter of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.

While criminal damage by fire remained stable at 17 incidents, there was a noteworthy 24% increase in criminal damage not involving fire, rising from 164 to 204.

Intoxicated driving incidents witnessed a decline, with a 19% reduction in cases, dropping from 75 incidents in Q3 2022 to 61 in Q3 2023.

Meanwhile, according to Gardai, organised retail crime has been increasing since COVID.

It comes as gardai launch Operation Tairge to combat it, where they'll engage with retail groups nationally and focus on catching those responsible.

One example has seen a serial offender jailed for 67 offences across 18 counties.

Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman says its not just a Dublin problem, that rural areas outside the capital are seeing an increase in retail theft incidents.