Gardaí Crackdown Results On Retail Crime.

• Over 8,000 arrests and 20,000 charges and summons issued in first year of Operation Táirge which tackles organised retail crime

Progress made by Gardaí under Operation Táirge, has resulted in a significant crackdown on retail crime in its first year. Over 8,000 people have been arrested and over 20,000 charges and summons issued over the last 12 months.

Launched in December 2023, Operation Táirge is An Garda Síochána’s national operation targeting organised retail crime. Organised retail crime typically refers to situations where a number of people are acting together. These people target retailer outlets to steal significant quantities of goods to resell back into the retail supply chain through the black market.

Organised retail crime can also involve refund fraud with the purpose of making a financial or material benefit. It is usually a co-ordinated and well-organised crime carried out by people who recruit others to commit theft from retailers.

Operation Táirge plays a key role in ensuring retailers and their staff are protected from organised crime and the harm that it can do to their businesses.

A total of 8,460 Arrests and 20,052 charges or summons were recorded in association with Operation Táirge between 1st December 2023 and 30th November 2024.

The Operation is part of An Garda Síochána’s Crime Prevention and Reduction Strategy which aims to reduce the detrimental impact retail crime and criminals can have on retail businesses, and also seeks to support operational activity aimed at detecting and preventing retail theft.

Notable successes under Operation Táirge include:

• On 24th November Gardaí in DMR North arrested a man in his 50s as part of ongoing investigations into recent thefts from retail stores across North Dublin. The man was taken to a Garda station in North Dublin and subsequently charged with 46 counts of theft and one count of assaulting a retail worker.
• On 20 November Gardaí attached to the Coolock and Raheny districts arrested and charged 21 people as part of ongoing investigations under Operation Thor and Operation Táirge, targeting criminal activity with particular emphasis on robbery, burglary and theft in the North East Dublin Metropolitan Region areas of Coolock and Raheny.