Gardai in Wicklow have issued an appeal for people living in rural communities to be on the alert for suspicious movements after new figures revealed the shocking scale of sheep stealing.
Image source: An Garda Síochána Wickow
An Garda Síochána have reports of the thefts of 176 sheep in Co. Wicklow for year 2020, Gardaí based in the county have confirmed.
These taken animals were the outcome of six different thefts, it was added, while already in 2021, there has been one reported theft for west Wicklow.
In an effort to highlight this situation, Detective Sergeant Barry Turner in Wicklow has been in “regular ongoing contact” with Wicklow Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) to raise An Garda Síochána’s concerns with this type of theft, especially in the lead up to the Easter Lamb market, Gardaí said in a statement.