‘Operation Táirge’ has begun this week as gardaí seek to halt criminals engaging in retail crime.
Gardaí are aiming to disrupt Ireland’s most prolific groups who are stealing goods from shops to resell in the black market.
The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association estimate that retail crime costs retailers over of €1.62 billion each year. Additionally, the Global Retail Theft Barometer indicates that Ireland has the highest cost per capita of retail crime (€339.31) – significantly more than both second and third placed countries, Iceland and Denmark.
Organised retail crime (ORC) can also involve refund fraud with the purpose of making a financial or material benefit.
Stolen goods are often sold to what is known as a ‘fence’ who then either sells them at a particular location or in some cases may sell them online in an activity known as ‘e-fencing’.
Under ‘Operation Táirge’ Gardaí nationwide will work on reducing organised retail crime by:
• Using an intelligence-led approach to identify criminals engaging in retail crime
• Disrupting the most prolific groups in operation through the use of organised crime legislation and proceeds of crime legislation
• Working with retailers to strengthen their security and prevent them becoming victims of this criminality
• Supporting those working in retail to report a crime
• Identifying and targeting the areas where ORC black markets operate, and their leadership
• Working with high risk retailers to enhance prevention, investigation and prosecution
• Deterring people from becoming involved in organised retail crime by raising awareness of the consequences of committing such offences.
Chief Superintendent Padraic Jones, Garda National Community Engagement Bureau said: “We want business owners and staff to feel protected and safe from this kind of criminality, and we will continue to work closely with them in whatever way possible. Most essential is that we utilise our ongoing intelligence gathering to target and take out these groups – they’re no longer operating under any radar and they will be caught.”