Gardaí are again reminding car owners to secure their vehicles as best they can following several more incidents where catalytic converters have been stolen.
Crime Prevention Officer for Clare, Sergeant Triona Brooks said: “Unfortunately again this week there have been four further reports of the theft of catalytic convertors from cars in the county.
Two were stolen overnight between 9pm on the 14th March and 9am on the 15th March from cars parked in the driveway of houses in Ashview Drive, Sixmilebridge and Finian Park, Shannon.
Another two were stolen in the early hours of the 16th March from cars parked in Glenn Cora, Newmarket on Fergus and Cratloe Cross.
At 2.30am the owner of the car in Newmarket on Fergus disturbed two males outside his home and they left in a Mini Cooper car in the direction of the village of Newmarket.
Anyone with any information about any of these incidents is asked to contact their local Garda Station or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666111.
The Garda advice to help protect your property is to:
– Property mark the catalytic converter
– Weld bolts shut to act as a deterrent to a thief using a spanner
– Casings are also available from various garages.
– Park your car as close to the wall of your house/driveway as you can making access under vehicles harder and ensure that there is good security lighting where you park.
Gardaí recently provided a breakdown of the statistics covering the period January 2019 to December 2020 and highlighted the ongoing Garda operation targeting these crimes.
Catalytic Convertor Thefts
€1.8 million euro worth
2800 Thefts
71% in Dublin
Car parks: 40%
Roadside: 20%
Driveways: 15%