Operation Thor Records Lowest Winter Burglary Rate in Six Years

An Garda Síochána has reported a 14% reduction in residential burglaries during the 2025/2026 winter phase of Operation Thor, compared to the 2024/2025 winter phase. Just over 2,600 residential burglaries were recorded, the lowest figure during an Operation Thor winter phase in six years, since before Covid-19.

The results were presented at an operational review meeting chaired by Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis, Organised and Serious Crime, on 22 April 2026. The meeting brought together divisional, regional, and national units involved in the operation, which runs annually from 1 October to 31 March.

Analysis of provisional data by the Garda Síochána Analysis Service shows there were just under 4,300 incidents linked to Operation Thor during the winter phase, covering burglary, aggravated burglary, and possession of an article. This is the lowest number of Operation Thor incidents during a winter phase since 2020/2021.

Of those incidents, 94.7% were burglary, 2.8% aggravated burglary, and 2.4% possession of an article. Sixty-four per cent of burglary incidents were residential, while 36% were non-residential. The most commonly affected location types were houses (53.4%), shops (8.4%), apartments (4.7%), and restaurants (3.9%).

The Dublin Metropolitan Region accounted for 44% of all burglary incidents, followed by the Eastern Region at 27%, the Southern Region at 17%, and the North Western Region at 12%. Within the North Western Region, which covers ten counties including Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, and Donegal, an average of only two residential burglaries per day were recorded.

Temporal analysis indicates that 78% of residential burglaries occurred between 6pm and 2am, with Fridays and Saturdays recorded as the most frequent days for incidents.

On average, five arrests for burglary and related offences were made every day during the winter phase, amounting to nearly 1,000 arrests in total. On average, 12 charges or summonses were issued daily, with nearly 2,250 issued across the period. There were on average less than five aggravated burglaries nationwide per week, with just over 120 recorded in total.

Since Operation Thor launched in November 2015, residential burglaries during the winter phase have fallen by 80%, from over 12,000 in 2014/2015 to just over 2,600 in 2025/2026.

Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis, Organised and Serious Crime:

"I am pleased to see that the level of burglary related crime continues to trend downwards as An Garda Síochána remains resolute focusing on those criminal groups that carry out these particularly harmful crimes. Operation Thor, led and co-ordinated by Organised and Serious Crime through the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, involves dedicated local divisional investigation teams, supported by front-line Gardaí, National and Regional Units.

Residential burglary is a particularly insidious crime. The violation by criminals of a person's home has a lasting impact on the victim. Burglary, and burglary related crime and the organised criminal groups responsible remain key targets for all resources of An Garda Síochána. The sharing of intelligence, the coordination of operations and the willingness of all personnel involved in Operation Thor to act collectively have all been critical to the success of this strategy. I want to acknowledge and recognise the efforts of my colleagues throughout the organisation for their continued efforts in relation to Operation Thor"

An Garda Síochána has advised a number of steps to help protect your home, including turning on lights, using timer switches or motion detectors, locking all doors and windows, using a house alarm, storing keys away from windows, and avoiding keeping large amounts of cash or jewellery at home.

The free Garda Property App allows members of the public to record and index personal property such as jewellery, electronics, bicycles, and farm machinery. In the event of a theft, the in-app reporting tool allows users to report stolen items directly to Gardaí.