It's a crime on the rise.
Dublin's Beaumont Hospital has warned of several incidents of attempted theft or damage to cars on their premises, in a statement published today (30 June).
The statement reads: "Three incidents have occurred in staff car parks involving the removal or damage to catalytic converters. Beaumont Hospital is working closely with the Gardaí regarding these incidents and has increased security patrols."
An Garda Síochána has confirmed that it is investigating at least one incident that occurred at the hospital on 25 June.
Separately, Gardaí also warned that such crimes had increased by 300% across Ireland.
"Since the beginning of 2019, catalytic converter theft has increased three fold compared to 2017 and 2018 collectively. This is because of a major increase in palladium prices, a metal commonly found in catalytic converters.
"There are approximately 50 reported offences of catalytic converter theft per month across the country."
Gardaí have advised that over 50% of all such crimes occur in park and ride locations. They also shared four crime prevention tips to safeguard against having one's catalytic converter stolen:
1. Encouraging owners to engrave their catalytic converters with their VIN number could make the reselling of stolen catalytic converters difficult.
2. Encouraging owners and manufacturers to weld catalytic converters to the car’s frame to make them harder to steal.
3. Defensive parking near a wall can make jacking up a vehicle and consequently the theft of a catalytic converter more difficult.
4. Ensuring security lights come on automatically when persons approach a car parked on a drive could deter criminals targeting driveways.
