Laois motorists warned about car thefts

Laois motorists are being warned they are not immune from vehicle crime. 

The warning was issued by Laois Offaly Crime Prevention Officer Sgt Graham Kavanagh.

"We are not immune to these crimes in Laois and Offaly and have seen vehicles being interfered with, damaged or stolen. Car theft, especially that of second-hand imported vehicles is on the rise,” he warned.  

“Car buyers and owners can take actions to decrease the risk of the theft of their vehicle. Cars imported from international markets are not automatically manufactured with the same security features as cars manufactured for the European market,” he said. 

"We urge buyers and owners of vehicles to confirm the security features of import vehicles, especially to check if there is an in-built immobiliser and to consider additional security options,” he added. 

With over 4,000 vehicles reported stolen in Ireland in 2022, theft of vehicles continues to show a significant increase, a 52% increase on 2021 and 17% increase on 2019.

This is driven by the theft of second-hand imported cars from outside the European market, which may be due to the lack of security features in the most commonly stolen imported vehicles.