Retailers warned as heroin addicts cause shoplifting spike
The city’s retail community has been put on ‘red alert’ for drug addicts and other criminals shoplifting in the lead-up to Christmas, potentially costing tens of thousands of euro.
Galway’s top Garda has confirmed there has been a spike in thefts from shops and warned retailers to be vigilante ahead of the start of festive shopping season this weekend.
The city’s growing number of heroin abusers, who loot in order to feed their addiction, can be directly blamed for the large rise in thefts from shops, according to Chief Superintendent Tom Curley.
In his report to this week’s Galway City Joint Policing Committee (JPC), Chief Supt Curley said the number of thefts from shops has increased by 22% in the 10 months to the end of October.
There were 471 thefts from retailers in that period, he said, which is 85 more than the same period last year.
Chief Supt Curley attributed the rise in thefts to heroin users who are “shoplifting to feed their habit”. He estimated that there are currently between 250 and 300 heroin users in the city, and that it remained a “serious problem” that was “worrying”.
Chief Supt Curley said the number of incidents of drugs for sale or supply was 78, down 28%. The numbers of drugs raids may be reducing but, he said, the amounts of drugs seized in each raid was increasing.
Incidents of people being caught in ‘simple possession’ of drugs also fell by 3% to 196 incidents, but Chief Supt Curley assured the meeting that the level of resources available to the Drug Squad hasn’t been reduced.
For more on this story and an extensive four-page ‘Focus on Crime’ feature – including a breakdown of statistics – see this week’s Galway City Tribune