Arrest in baggage theft inquiry

A man has been arrested in connection with the alleged theft of items from passenger luggage at Dublin Airport.

A Garda source told The Irish Timesthe man was arrested last month in possession of a number of items following an internal investigation by the baggage handling company Servisair.

The man was subsequently released and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The spokesman said there is no evidence that theft from luggage is widespread at the airport. "We don't have a huge file in relation to Servisair as some reports claim," he said. "As far as we're concerned, it's not a major problem."

A Servisair spokesman confirmed that an employee had been suspended and arrested on July 24th as part of the ongoing inquiry.

"Servisair confirms that after an internal investigation into possible theft from baggage at Dublin Airport, the Garda were informed and an arrest has been made," the company said. "Servisair . . . continues to work in conjunction with the gardaí and Customs to ensure that any such incidents are investigated thoroughly."

Servisair employs almost 300 people at Dublin airport. It also provides ground handling services in Cork, Shannon and Belfast airports, with customers including airlines such as Aer Lingus, Ryanair and Air France.

Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) said today that baggage handling was the sole responsibility of the handling agent, and the airport authority was not involved in the process beyond providing infrastructure.

However, a spokeswoman for the DAA said the company was concerned about the possibility that this type of activity was going on, and said it was aware of the investigation.

Additional reporting: PA