Crime Prevention Day of Action

A RANGE of measures that householders can take to secure their homes against the threat of burglary was highlighted by An Garda Síochána at Wednesday’s launch of its National Crime Prevention Day of Action.

The main entry points by burglars to houses are through a rear window (28%), front door (27%), and rear door (25%).

While the latest CSO figures show a 8.9% fall in the level of burglary and related offences between June 2012 and June 2013 compared to the previous 12 months, An Garda Síochána is advising people to remain vigilant and security conscious in order to thwart burglars.

“Burglars will tend to go for what they view as easy targets –  houses with no lights on, no alarm, or unsecured doors and windows. So it is critical for householders to secure all doors and windows, light up their homes even when out, and have an alarm and turn it on even when at home,” said Sergeant Kelvin Courtney of the National Crime Prevention Unit.

Householders are also advised to ensure that valuables are out of sight and large amounts of cash are not kept in the house as jewellery and cash accounted for 75% of the property stolen in burglaries in the last six months of 2013. This jewellery and cash had a value of approximately €10.7m.

Burglaries can occur at any time throughout the day with over 30% taking place between 5pm and 8pm, and 15% occurring overnight during the past six months.

An Garda Síochána will be publicising these tips and more detailed advice through www.garda.ie and its Facebook and Twitter channels over the next week.