There was a 2.8% decrease in residential burglaries during An Garda Siochána’s Operation Thor Winter Phase 2022/2023 (2,988 residential burglaries) compared to Summer Phase 2022 (3,067 residential burglaries).
This is the first recorded reduction in burglaries during a Winter Phase compared to a Summer Phase.
This trend reverses traditional crime statistics which suggested a seasonal trend of a surge in burglaries during winter months when daylight hours are at the lowest level.
There was a 21.6% decrease in residential burglaries, year-on-year, during Operation Thor Winter Phase 2022/2023 compared to Winter Phase 2021/2022 (3,804 residential burglaries).
There has also been a 75% reduction in residential burglaries since the commencement of Operation Thor in 2015, according to garda data.
Operation Thor – winter period
The Winter Phase of Operation Thor runs each year from October 1 until March 31 the following year.
During the Winter Phase of Operation Thor 2022/2023 there were:
- 957 arrests;
- 1,440 charges;
- 1,279 searches;
- 22,655 checkpoints;
- 133,531 patrols.
Burglary has been trending downwards, particularly since the commencement of Operation Thor in November 2015, according to gardaí.
In the 12 months to March 2023, there was a 7% decrease in reported residential burglary compared with the previous 12 months.
Residential burglary tends to be higher in winter. International evidence traditionally suggests a seasonal trend, that a surge in burglaries of up to 20% is likely to arise in the winter months when daylight hours are at the lowest level.
In contrast to previous years, a small but significant decrease in residential burglaries was observed this winter (2022/2023).
Overall burglaries
Overall, reported burglary in the 12 months to March 2023 was 46% lower than pre-pandemic levels (equivalent period in 2018/2019), which highlights not just the impact of garda activity under Operation Thor, but also the Covid-19 pandemic has had on this type of crime.
Commenting on these provisional crime statistics, assistant commissioner Justin Kelly, Organised and Serious Crime, stated:
“For the first time, provisional crime statistics are indicating that there were less residential burglaries during the Winter Phase of Operation Thor 2022/2023 than in the immediately preceding summer phase. This is a very welcome development.
“Compared to when Operation Thor commenced in 2015, when over 12,000 burglaries were recorded, a 75% reduction in burglaries is a major development in keeping people safe and ensuring that citizens feel safe in their own homes.
“An Garda Síochána remains committed to working with individuals and communities both rural and urban to target those involved in burglary and related crime types, particularly those who may attempt to use the motorway network to benefit their criminal activities,” Kelly added.
Collaboration
Throughout the Winter Phase, assistant commissioner Justin Kelly and his team, meet with the most senior detectives and those in charge of roads policing in each garda region, along with the Garda Analyst Service, to review policing activity undertaken for the purpose of Operation Thor and plan additional actions.
The Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) and Forensic Science Ireland (FSI), are also represented at these meetings.
Operation Thor involves actively targeting organised crime gangs and repeat offenders, through coordinated crime prevention and enforcement activity based on intelligence and the latest burglary trends.
Official crime statistics are published under reservation by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).