Dublin Bus drivers told to warn passengers as pickpocket gang runs rampant

Dublin Bus has ordered its drivers to warn passengers that a group of organised pickpockets are stealing from people on their routes.

It comes after the Irish Mirror revealed how there had been a series of robberies on buses across the capital, with a gang of female thieves believed to be behind them. Sources have told the Irish Mirror that drivers will now be making announcements warning passengers to be wary of pickpockets.

A source said: “This has been a growing problem over recent months, so the best course of action is for the drivers to warn people to be aware of thieves. Once the warning goes out, it should hopefully make it less likely that people who have stuff stolen from them.”

Read more: Pickpockets swipe €80,000 worth of diamond rings from pensioner on Dublin Bus

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Earlier this month, a pensioner was left stunned when an envelope full of diamond rings, which he was delivering on behalf of a jewellery company, was swiped by the cunning pickpockets.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the elderly man’s son told us: “He’s totally shook up by this and never saw it coming. “He boarded the 16 bus on D’Olier Street on a Thursday and it was packed so he was standing when all of a sudden this woman fell on top of him basically.

“He was carrying two envelopes on behalf of someone else, and one of them contained diamond rings which are estimated to be around E80,000 in value. “They probably didn’t know he had that much on him, but they managed to get them off him nonetheless.”

The man immediately reported the loss to the bus driver- and the vehicle was thoroughly searched – but nothing was found – and the incident is now the subject of a garda investigation. Drivers said that the same gang of pickpockets have now been identified by several of their colleagues.

Speaking to us, one frustrated driver said: “It’s been going on for about a year or a year and a half now.

“It became clear to me the same ladies are coming on with woolly hats and scarfs. I have caught them with their hands in women’s bags. I now make an announcement that there are pickpockets on board every time they get on. They follow the same pattern. There’s clear CCTV and I can’t understand how they haven’t been caught yet.”

Another driver told us of how he tried to prevent pickpockets from getting away – but now they’re threatening to sue the company over his actions.

“I had two women on my bus who tried to rob an elderly man. They’re trying to sue Dublin Bus now trying to say I was detaining them. It’s rampant. They are out every week. Today the day of the match there was a callout over the radio to watch out for the pickpockets.

Another driver added: “There was a young girl only on the bus for a few minutes and her passport was taken. She was in floods of tears. She got on at Dorset Street and by the time we got to St Pat’s she realised. That’s only one. There’s been so many.”

This paper has also seen correspondence showing how drivers contacted management about their concerns – and urged for more to be done. Drivers have also asked Dublin Bus to initiate a fleet wide warning on every bus informing passengers of the pickpocket threat – but this suggestion was denied.

A spokesman for Dublin Bus said: “At Dublin Bus, the safety and security of all our employees and customers remains our top priority. We work closely with An Garda Síochána on an ongoing basis to maintain a safe environment for everyone using our services.”

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