Two gardaí are at Tullamore Mart today, Thursday, offering farm security and safety advice to farmers.

Garda Shane Costello and Sergeant Graham Kavanagh, crime prevention officer for Laois-Offaly, are at the mart where they will be able to advise farmers on farm security.

Farms in Co Offaly were targeted last year by burglars, with trailers and tools stolen from two separate premises in September.

There was also a burglary at knifepoint in December, when three masked men entered a farm in Kildangan, Tullamore, Co Offaly, around 8pm one evening and attacked a man in his 70s, demanding money.

Sergeant Kavanagh encourages all members of the public, not just farmers, to put a unique mark on their property, so that it can be identified should it be stolen and subsequently recovered.

He also encouraged farmers to sign up to IFA’s TheftStop, which he said will greatly reduce thefts if farmers use the initiative.

Read more

Operation Thor sees winter burglaries fall 23%

Four arrested as gardaí target travelling criminal gangs