There has been a 20% increase in the number of people prosecuted for shoplifting this year, the Justice Minister has said.

Since the pandemic, there has been a surge in complaints about shoplifting and anti-social behaviour in Dublin - particularly from retailers in the city centre.

On The Pat Kenny Show, Minister Helen McEntee said she accepts that there is now “more aggression out there”.

“Our urban centres have changed,” she said. 

“There’s less people in them because there’s more people working from home - and that in itself has created a different dynamic.” 

Cyclists wait to cross O'Connell Street in Dublin. Image: David Lyons / Alamy Stock Photo

Minister McEntee said that she and Gardaí have “listened” to the concerns of retailers and are determined to tackle it. 

“They have put in place a specific Garda operation to respond to it,” she said. 

“It works on the same basis as Operation Thor has done for many years, looking at burglaries and homes where we’ve seen a spike in years gone past.

“It’s working on the basis that 40% of this retail crime is committed by about 8% of 9% of people. 

“So, if you were to target and identify those individuals, you are straight away almost halving the crimes in our shops.” 

Helen McEntee in the Newstalk studio.

Minister McEntee said Gardaí have already begun to see improvements due to the operation.

“What Gardaí are seeing is not just an increase in reporting - which is what we want - but also more cases before the courts and more people being held accountable,” she said. 

“There’s 20% more prosecutions that have taken place in the last year alone. 

“Gardaí have arrested over 12,000 people in our city centre - there’s about €20 million worth of drugs that have been confiscated through that as well.” 

In May, Gardaí in certain parts of Dublin were given body cameras to wear for the first time - allowing them to record behaviour they think might be criminal. 

Minister McEntee said the rollout has already led to an increase in convictions. 

“In the first few months of having those body cameras, I’m getting really positive reports from the Gardaí about changed behaviour, aggression, de-escelation when they see cameras being put on,” she said. 

“People being convicted because they have - for the first time - very clear evidence of crimes that have been committed.” 

Dublin city centre

Last month, the Dublin City Centre Taskforce recommended that 1,000 extra Gardaí should be deployed to the area to make it a more attractive area to visit.

Minister McEntee described the taskforce’s recommendations as “really important” and noted it also called for other policy changes on planning and dereliction as well.

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Main image: Helen McEntee. Picture by: Alamy.com