Wicklow village with biggest increase in burglaries has lost five gardaí
The Wicklow PeopleA village in Wicklow that recorded the biggest increase in burglaries in the county last year has had the number of gardaí assigned to its station more than halved in the last 10 years.
Burglaries across Wicklow rose by 17 per cent in 2025 to a staggering 400 incidents, marking the highest level recorded in the past five years.
Ashford saw the biggest increase in the county, with reported burglaries rising to 17, compared with just six the previous year.
Garda sources have said the area is proving to be “rich pickings” for gangs from Tallaght and local criminals.
“It’s my belief it is going to be really tough for gardaí until they get caught,” one source said.
Ashford Garda Station has just three gardai assigned to it, according to the latest figures, down from eight in 2015, despite burglaries in the area almost tripling last year.
North Wicklow accounted for the largest share of reported burglaries, with Greystones recording 78 incidents, a 37pc increase on the previous year. Bray also recorded 78 reported burglaries, up 24pc compared with 2024.
Bray, which has the largest Garda allocation in the county, has also seen a significant reduction in numbers, falling from 122 gardaí in 2015 to 91 in 2025.
However, as of May 2026, there were 593 gardaí assigned to the Wexford/Wicklow Division, with 111 assigned to Bray and supported by 14 civilian staff.
Recruitment into An Garda Síochána has also gathered momentum, with more than 200 trainees now regularly entering Templemore.
The overall Garda workforce has increased from 15,980 in 2016 to more than 18,200 in 2026.
Gardaí have also stressed that policing is no longer carried out on a station-by-station basis, with resources deployed across the wider division depending on demand.
Bray now has a high-time visibility operation in place, made up of four gardaí focused on tackling retail theft during the day, as part of an active results-based approach to policing.
The approach is part of a wider move towards a more active and visible policing model, with gardaí saying resources are deployed where they are most needed rather than being confined to individual stations.
Burglary, which is prosecuted under Section 12 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001, resulted in 44 successful prosecutions in 2025, including 15 in the District Court and a further 29 before Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court.
That represents a 62pc increase in successful prosecutions across both jurisdictions compared with the previous year of 14 successful prosecutions in the District Court, alongside 13 in the Circuit Criminal Court.
Garda sources say burglaries are commonly committed to fund drug addiction.
“Burglaries are usually to fund drugs and those who get caught are usually addicts who steal to feed their habits,” one source said.
They explained that burglary is a seasonal crime, with incidents typically increasing after the summer months.
“From September, when the nights start getting longer, burglaries start increasing,” the source said.
When speaking about the type of offenders involved in burglaries across Wicklow, sources said organised gangs from Dublin also target the county because of its proximity to the capital.
“These gangs come down from Dublin targeting places like Bray and Greystones,” one source said, adding that “criminals even rob high-powered cars to carry out the burglaries”.
Another source remarked that “gardaí have started operations targeting these gangs, but have had mixed results”.
Wicklow gardaí are advising homeowners to follow the ‘Lock Up, Light Up’ campaign by securing all entry points and making use of local community crime prevention initiatives, including property-marking equipment available through Wicklow County Council.
They are also urging householders to close and lock all doors, windows and outbuildings, noting that almost one in four burglaries occur through unsecured entry points.
Residents are further advised to keep keys, cash and jewellery out of sight, and never leave car keys near letterboxes, windows or other easily accessible areas inside the home.