Car thefts went up by over 50 percent last year, compared with the year before.
4,000 vehicles were reported stolen in 2022.
That's a 52% increase on 2021 and 17% increase on 2019.
Imported Cars
Gardaí say the rise was driven by the theft of second-hand imported cars from outside Europe
That could be down to a lack of commonly installed security features, which are standard here but may not be abroad.
Some second-hand imports do not have fully fitted alarms or immobilisers which makes them susceptible to hot-wiring.
Sergeant Mark Bolger, of the Garda National Crime Prevention Office, has this advice for buyers.
