Crime Prevention

On this month’s Crime Prevention segment Sergeant Alan Roughneen was in studio to cover An Garda Síochána’s final ‘National Crime Prevention Day of Action’ for 2016 that will take place on Thursday 8th December 2016.  A ‘Retail Safety Day’, focusing on retail safety and security will coincide with the start of the busy festive shopping period.

The ‘Retail Safety Day’ will have a dual focus on retailers and shoppers. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness amongst retailers on ways to prevent business losses from criminal activity. The public will also be advised on safe shopping and parking, in order to avoid becoming a victim of crime, whilst improving their personal security.

Sergeant Alan Roughneen of the National Crime Prevention Unit reminds retailers that theft from shops increase from mid November until Christmas.

The four main items stolen from retailers are Groceries, Alcohol, Clothing and Cosmetics. It is noticeable that thefts from Clothes stores increase sharply just before Christmas and we also see a considerable increase of thefts from Pharmacies, largely involving cosmetic thefts, throughout November and December. 

Detective Superintendent Michael Gubbins of the Garda Cyber Crime Bureau joined Sergeant Roughneen in studio to advise the public in relation to internet usage in respect of Open Wifi access, particularly when making purchases online using open Wifi. This week two of the biggest shopping days for retailers occurs with Black Friday on 25th and Cyber Monday on the 28th. Detective Supt. Gubbins offered advice to the public on how to keep their account and personal details safe online.