Around €5 million euro worth of mobile phones have been stolen in Ireland over the last 20 months.
The majority were robbed in Dublin.
Gardaí say of the 11,488 phones taken since the start of last year, only 10 per cent are recovered.
They are appealing to people to be "Streetwise" and to download a trusted "find my phone" app.
Crime Prevention Officer for the Meath Division is Sergeant Dean Kerins said;
"The price of mobile phones makes them a clear target for criminals, so let’s try and deter them by increasing phone security. If you a have a smartphone, we recommend downloading a trusted location finder app so if it is lost or stolen, you have a better chance of getting it back."
The highest number of mobiles taken was in Dublin's South Central Garda division, which accounted for a quarter of stolen phones.
That was followed by the North Central division, with 1,869 phones taken since January 2019.
"If you believe your phone has been stolen, you should call Gardaí immediately. Do not follow the person via your tracking app”, warned Sergeant Kerins.
