Two men have been arrested and charged as part of an ongoing investigation by gardaí into the theft of trailers and equipment from farms and construction sites.
Gardaí from the Loughrea Crime Unit conducted an operation in the north Clare and Galway border area las Thursday evening (July 4) during which a vehicle was intercepted.
“Two stolen trailers were recovered, and two individuals were arrested.
“Additionally, a variety of items were recovered, including tools, drills, chop saws, impact drivers, nail guns, and a generator,” a garda spokesperson said.
The men, aged in their 40s and 20s, were detained at a garda station in the north western region under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.
Both were later charged and brought before a special sitting of Galway District Court on Friday evening.
Gardaí added that their investigations are ongoing.
It is understood that one of the trailers which was recovered had been stolen from a site in Muree, Oranmore on June 28.
Gardaí
Separately, an appeal has been issued to people living in rural areas to be vigilant following incidents involving individuals impersonating gardaí.
According to a post on the An Garda Síochána Laois/Offaly Facebook page, these conmen have been asking to check cash held by the homeowner due to a supposed increase in counterfeit money.
The conmen have also claimed that they need to inspect security in a person’s home because of a rise in burglaries in the area.
“Please be aware that An Garda Síochána will never make unannounced visits to your home to request such checks,” the social media post read.
It added that legitimate gardaí will also carry proper identification which can be produced and if a homeowner has any doubts about the person at their door, do not open it.
Gardaí in Co. Meath have also advised homeowners not to engage with anyone they do not know calling to their door offering jobs or services, such as power washing, cleaning gutters, painting or selling goods.
“In our experience, prices agreed upon are almost never adhered to, work is substandard and older clients are targeted,” they said.
Meanwhile, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) is calling for the establishment of a dedicated ‘Rural Crime Unit’ within An Garda Síochána to deal with thefts of machinery and equipment from farms.
Alice Doyle, the IFA’s deputy president, has called on farmers, contractors and machinery owners to take urgent and immediate actions to protect their property, machinery, tools and equipment, especially GPS equipment.
In recent weeks, six GPS systems were stolen in Co. Wexford, and one was stolen in north Co. Dublin. The estimated value of the stolen equipment is in the region of €100,000.