New Data Reveals 159% increase in Sligo/Leitrim shoplifting

New figures show that there has been a 159% increase in shoplifting incidents in the Sligo-Leitrim district since 2003.

The figures, obtained from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) by Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, reveal that shoplifting has dramatically increased across most counties in Ireland over the past 20 years.

Sligo/Leitrim saw a significant rise in shoplifting crimes, with 479 cases in 2025 compared to 185 in 2003.

The biggest increase, according to the data, was in Kildare, which saw a 314% rise in shoplifting during that period.

To combat the rise, MEP Ní Mhurchú has called for mandatory prison sentences for anyone caught shoplifting on more than one occasion, updates to the Public Order Acts to allow prolific offenders of retail crime to be excluded from premises for a certain period, and support for targeted Garda operations to tackle retail crime and remove assets from those suspected of organized retail theft.

She has also called for the introduction of a specific offence for assaulting a retail worker and an end to the practice of ‘retail defamation,’ where someone can sue a retailer for defamation if they are stopped with a bona fide belief that they have stolen something from the shop.

In October, Gardaí in Carrick-on-Shannon arrested four men in connection with shoplifting in the area as part of Operation Táirge, a national initiative aimed at combating organized retail crime.

The year 2003 was chosen as it is the first year of available shoplifting figures from the CSO.

Donegal also saw a substantial rise in shoplifting crime, with a 138% increase.

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