{"id":381705,"date":"2026-04-04T13:51:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T13:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/381705\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T13:51:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T13:51:10","slug":"cork-shop-issues-alert-after-two-hits-by-organised-thieves-using-distraction-tactics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/381705\/","title":{"rendered":"Cork shop issues alert after two hits by organised thieves using ‘distraction tactics’"},"content":{"rendered":"

They want to warn other businesses and the wider community<\/p>\n

11:01, 04 Apr 2026Updated 11:06, 04 Apr 2026<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Barry’s Centra in Crosser (previously known as Lynch’s)(Image: CB)<\/p>\n

A well-known Cork store has issued an urgent alert to other businesses and communities in Cork after they were hit by two unwanted ‘visits’ by what appeared to be an organised gang of shoplifters.<\/p>\n

The owners of the popular Barry’s Centra of Crosshaven, well-known to all who have visited the harbour village, have taken the step to help ensure other businesses in the area and across Cork are aware of threat – and are prepared for similar attempts.<\/p>\n

Taking to social media, the owners confirmed they had been hit twice, the first time last week, by what appeared to be an organised group who used ‘distraction techniques – creating a commotion in one part of the store – while others carried out ‘significant thefts’.<\/p>\n

The gang returned to Crosshaven last night and made a second, similar attempt, a very difficult situation for the hard-working staff in this busy store. Shoplifting is one of the few crime categories that have increased significantly in the past decade, up by an average of 47% across Ireland in the decade between 2014 and 2024. In Cork City, the rate of increase was far higher, up 57% in that decade.<\/p>\n

Bodies representing the retail sector say many shops are facing constant and highly costly thieving, and there have been calls for the Government and the Courts to get tougher on what are now often mobile organised gangs of shoplifters who work in a highly targeted fashion.<\/p>\n

The owners of Barry’s in Crosshaven said they are speaking out to warn others, saying: “We want to make our community aware of a serious incident that occurred in our store last week, where a group carried out a significant theft of goods. Unfortunately, the same group attempted to return again this evening.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re asking everyone in the local area to please stay alert and support us in protecting small businesses and our staff. In particular, please be mindful of suspicious behaviour such as groups working in a coordinated way, using distraction techniques, or attempting to conceal items.<\/p>\n

If you notice anything unusual or concerning, please inform our staff and if required, report it to the appropriate authorities.<\/p>\n

We are proud to serve our community, and incidents like this affect not just our business, but the wider town. We truly appreciate all the support we receive every day.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s continue to look out for one another and keep our community safe.”<\/p>\n

Any information on criminal activity in the area should be reported to the Gardai in Carrigaline – 021-4919370 or all 999\/112.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"They want to warn other businesses and the wider community 11:01, 04 Apr 2026Updated 11:06, 04 Apr 2026…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":381706,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[35286,1115,7782,42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-381705","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-carrigaline","9":"tag-crime","10":"tag-gardai","11":"tag-headlines","12":"tag-news","13":"tag-top-news","14":"tag-top-stories","15":"tag-topnews","16":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=381705"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381705\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/381706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=381705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=381705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=381705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}