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AN INCREASE IN break-ins and burglaries from food businesses in Dublin city and beyond has majorly impacted small businesses, seemingly caused by “a perfect storm” of factors plaguing the retail and hospitality sector.
At least five break-ins were reported across popular food locations across Dublin during a single week in February – impacting Mediterranean restaurant Kicky’s on George’s Street, pop-up pizza truck Goats Gruff at the Strawberry Beds and coffee shop It’s A Trap on Aungier Street.
According to the latest CSO data, there were 878 more burglaries nationwide in 2024 compared to the previous year.
In the Dublin area, a total of 3,729 burglaries or related offences were recorded in the span of just 12 months up to September 2024, up 7% on figures last year.
1,453 robberies occurred in Dublin over the same period.
With Dublin-based restaurants and food businesses, burglaries and robberies mostly follow a similar pattern – the culprits break the glass at the entrance with a tool or blunt object, enter the premises with their faces hidden behind a helmet or a balaclava, and go straight to the cash register, which they break to take what is inside.
While gardaí have apprehended a number of these thieves in recent months, the perception among small business owners seems to be a “lack of action” in terms of safety and security.
Tom Brennan, owner of Stillorgan-based coffee shop Motley Brue, said it’s “a wonder that anyone opens a coffee shop these days”.
Motley Brue were broken into last month – a group of three masked figures smashed the front door to the shop using a crowbar before the coffee shop opened.
The culprits took several hundred euros in cash from the business, before fleeing in a car.
“You put so much time and effort into businesses like this, that even a few hundred euro can be life-changing for a small business in the worst way possible,” Tom said.
While the business has since reopened, Tom noted that the problem “seems to be worsening” in Dublin, which he says could be due to a declining garda presence.
“A lot of areas in Dublin City centre have gone downhill in terms of safety from theft – people definitely think that they can get away with it more,” he said.
“You see a lot of stuff in the news about declining garda numbers, and I suppose people know that when they’re considering committing crimes now”.
According to a survey from retail group Shelflife, 67% of business owners have expressed dissatisfaction with garda response times, leaving businesses vulnerable for extended periods.
Almost nine in ten business owners also reported no visible garda presence in their area.
Tom added that while while the garda response was “quite quick” for the Motley Brue break-in (they arrived within minutes of the incident), overall visible presence of gardaí across Dublin is low.
“Dublin city centre is definitely worse than here for garda presence – and that would leave you very concerned as a business owner.
“Who are you going to turn to? We’re ok here, but God help you in you’re in the city. These break-ins are definitely on the rise.”
Frayank Nunez, the owner of coffee shop It’s A Trap on Aungier street, echoed these concerns following a break-in to his business.
“Even in the short span of time since I started working here, I’ve seen that the south inner city is not as safe as it used to be,” Nunez said.
“There needs to be more active gardaí in the area. The futility of running a business here hits hard when this keeps happening.”
Vincent Jennings, the CEO of the Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association (CSNA), which has 1,500 members across the country, told The Journal that the organisation has concerns over the safety of businesses across Ireland.
Jennings said that there is “an urgent need” for stronger legislative protections and enhanced garda response times, as criminal activity continues to cripple the retail and hospitality sectors.
“[Business owners] are facing unprecedented levels of crime that threaten their livelihoods,” Jennings said.
He added that there “is no one reason” for the recent surge in crimes, but believes that heightened anti-social activity, declining garda visibility and “weak” conviction levels may have contributed to the current situation.
So what can be done about it?
“We are calling on the government to act. It’s time to introduce stronger protections,” Jennings said.
The CSNA launched a campaign for business safety in late 2024, advocating for stronger legal protections for business owners, the introduction of night courts and direct access to local garda stations for businesses.
“It is a reality that must be dealt with, for the safety of the workers, as well as for the obvious economic damage such crimes generate for companies,” Jennings said.
“Direct access to local garda stations would mean faster responses for businesses rather than relying on 999 calls, which can understandably take longer due to call backlogs.”
Jennings added that the CSNA has campaigned for enforced standards for garda response times “to support retailers in a timely manner”.
Ex-garda inspector Tony Gallagher says that the problem is not stronger criminal convictions, but rather that the problem lies with “the courts themselves”.
The former Dublin-based garda said that Dublin faces “a perfect storm”, as courts are restricted in applying sentences to those found guilty of thefts and burglaries due to prison overcrowding.
Gallagher adds that the problem is worse in relation to convicted burglars and thieves under the age of 18 – as the country’s only youth detention centre, Oberstown, is at full capacity.
A Department of Children spokeswoman confirmed to The Journal last month that there are just 46 spaces for children at Oberstown, and this is limited by an order of the Minister to prevent overcrowding.
“Bail laws are being too liberal because prosecutors would be privy to Irish prison numbers, and they know that there is not any space for them – for every person that you commit, somebody has to come out,” Gallagher said.
The cry for tougher sentences is only a gallery statement for politicians and others to say that they are “tough on crime”.
He added that burglaries are a “particularly hard crime to solve”.
“Unless you catch them in the action or they leave a forensic yield behind them, the chances of getting are slim,” Gallagher explained.
“The gardaí may have to consider increasing the garda presence in areas vulnerable to such robberies.”
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