A busy run-up to holiday season for West Cork thieves

BY JACKIE KEOGH

BURGLARS, thieves and shoplifters were busy in the lucrative lead up to Christmas, according to a garda source.

In the first three weeks of December, gardai arrested two men who entered a shop in Bandon and stole cigarettes and scratch cards, but no arrests were made in the case of the theft of a mobile phone from a factory at Ballydesmond at the beginning of the month, or in the case of an employee at a restaurant in Kinsale who had personal items stolen from her bag.

Gardai are also investigating four cases of shoplifting of alcohol, groceries and clothes from supermarkets in Macroom, Clonakilty and Dunmanway. 

And they have appealed for information regarding three men travelling in a foreign registered BMW who are suspected of fraud, having issued cheques for a variety of goods in three different shops in Bantry.

The gardai have also asked business people to be careful of suspect transactions after one man attempted to buy a drill from a shop in Macroom and gave his credit card details – the number, expiry date and the three digit security code – but failed to produce the actual card. 

The shop owner declined the transaction. 

Just days before Christmas, a supermarket in Skibbereen was hit by two people attempting a ‘trolley push’.

This is a scam whereby the perpetrator fills their trolley with items and then attempts to push it through the shop, past the tills, without being noticed by shop staff.

However, the two were detected by CCTV cameras and the supermarket circulated images to businesses in the area in case there was a repeat attempt at the crime in other stores in the region over the holidays.

 Vigilance is the key word over the Christmas period when there is more cash in circulation, according to the gardai, who appealed to people to observe good security procedures, safely store goods, and to ensure all CCTV and alarms are in good working order.