Rise in shoplifting before lockdown

Thefts from shops in Co Cavan rose by 30 per cent in the first three months of this year.

Between January and March 2020 there were 78 thefts reported to gardaí, 62 in the Cavan Garda District and 16 in Bailieborough.

This compares to 28 and 32 (total sixty) reported in each district respectively during the first quarter of 2019 - meaning these type of offences more than doubled in the Cavan district.

The latest crime figures, as outlined at the Joint Policing Committee (JPC) meeting earlier this month, also show that thefts from vehicles increased, from 14 between the two districts in 2019, to 19 in 2020.

Robberies and burglaries

However, there was a sharp fall in the number of robberies - with just one reported in the Cavan district in the first quarter of this year, compared to six last year; and none in Bailieborough, compared to one in the first three months of 2019.

The number of burglaries remained the same across the board - with 44 such offences reported in the Cavan district between January and March 2020 and 28 in Bailieborough; compared to 42 and 30 respectively in the first quarter of last year.

Public order and criminal damage

Elsewhere, there was a slight drop in the number public order offences with 105 such incidents across the county in 2020, compared to 110 in 2019.

Similarly, 76 incidents of criminal damage were reported this year, compared to 81 for the corresponding period in 2019.