Airbnb vigilance urged as burglaries in Mayo increase

AIRBNB operators in Mayo are being urged by gardaí to be conscious about who they are renting their properties to.

The warning comes as holiday rentals are being used by gangs as bases from which to conduct burglaries.

Burglary rates in Mayo are returning to pre-Covid levels and are up by 33 this year, from around 160 last year.

A gang using an Airbnb was thwarted in the county recently, a Mayo Joint Policing Committee meeting was told. Since their exit burglaries in the county have dropped.

Chief Superintendent Raymond Mahon appealed to property owners to be conscious of who they are renting out to and if they have suspicions to contact the gardaí.

Following the recent spate in the south and east of the county, a lot of valuable information had come in from the public, Inspector Denis Harrington added.

Investigations are continuing.

Thefts from shops are also on the rise, the meeting was told, and gardaí are working with retailers to address this and bring people before the courts.