Sixteen people due in court in relation to burglaries in north Dublin

Sixteen people will appear before courts in Dublin this morning following a Garda operation to tackle burglaries in advance of the winter months.

Thirteen males and three females, aged from 14 to 55 years old, have been charged with 62 offences including burglary, theft, criminal damage, robbery and the unauthorised taking of a vehicle.

Court hearings will take place before the Criminal Courts of Justice, Cloverhill District Court, Swords and Balbriggan District Court and Dublin Children’s Court at 10.30am.

In a statement, gardaí said the court appearances follow a “comprehensive policing operation” conducted as part of Operation Thor in north Dublin.

Operation Thor, launched in November 2015, is designed to tackle the anticipated increase in the number of burglaries and associated criminal activity that usually occur in winter months by undertaking targeted enforcement and preventive activity.

Over recent weeks, a number of arrest operations were carried out in the DMR North Division by gardaí in the Coolock and Raheny districts.

These operations specifically targeted individuals living in communities in north Dublin, who are “engaging in targeted property crime and profiting from criminal activities”.

Gardaí added “this is an active and ongoing operation”.