Tag Archives: Clare Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks

CLARE gardai have warned the public to be vigilant of scams when seeking accommodation to rent. The issue was raised by Clare crime prevention officer Sergeant Triona Brooks who this week relayed the experience of one woman who was searching for accommodation on a rental site. The woman e-mailed who she believed to be the landlord of a property that she was interested in. She then transferred a substantial amount of money for renting this accommodation through a link that he sent to her. Since then the e-mail address is no longer in existence. “As students start to look for accommodation for the next college year or for summer trips don’t be tricked into paying a deposit for a property that does not exist or has already been rented, often to multiple people,” warned Sergeant Brooks. She provided a checklist of precautions anyone should undertake when seeking a rental property. • Do your homework – look at the average rent …

A LARGE sum of money was taken from a Clare woman’s account and put into a Revolut account in India according to gardaí. In light of this latest scam, gardaí in Clare have again issued advice to help prevent people becoming victims of frausters. The woman had received a call from a man purporting to be from Amazon Prime who told her that to continue her account with them that she needed to pay €80. He convinced her to download a number of apps on her phone, two of which were Revolut. She later discovered that a large sum of money had been taken from her Bank of Ireland account and placed into the Revolut account and withdrawn in roubles in India. Clare Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks has this advice if you receive a suspicious call or text, “Hang up if the caller pressures you, claims urgent action is needed or threatens negative consequences. “Never provide any personal …

GARDAÍ in Clare believe that thieves may have used a trailer to steal a BMW which had four flat tyres. Between 7pm on Saturday March 19 and 10am on Sunday morning last a black 523 saloon BMW registration number 99 CE 5663 was stolen from a farm yard in Cregard, Barefield. “This vehicle had four flat tyres and the owner believes that the car was not capable of being driven so it may have been taken away on a trailer,” says Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks. She urged anybody who may have seen anything to contact their local garda station.

GARDAÍ in Clare are warning about the potential for criminals to impersonate Census takers issuing security advice on how to identify legitimate enumerators ahead of Census 2022. “People should always be aware of the potential for ‘bogus callers’ calling to homes pretending to be from different organisations which could include impersonating a census enumerator,” says Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks. The 2022 Census will take place on the night of Sunday, April 3 with 5,100 enumerators delivering and collecting forms to and from every household in the country over ten weeks between March 2 and May 6. “Enumerators will call to every dwelling a number of times in an attempt to make contact with the householder, to deliver forms and explain about the Census. It is anticipated that enumerators will work mainly between 9am and 9pm on weekdays and weekends,” Sergeant Brooks explains. She adds that Census enumerators will not ask to come inside people’s homes. When it comes …

REPORTS of suspicious callers to homes in Clare claiming to be from PhoneWatch are being investigated by gardaí. Last Tuesday evening, February 8, at 8.30pm four males called to a house in Fermoyle, Kilmore. When the owner opened the door they got back into a dark coloured 212 vehicle and left the area. These males had PhoneWatch jackets on. “We have had further reports of a male calling to houses in Inch and Ballyea areas claiming to be from PhoneWatch and looking for cash deposits for products,” outlines crime prevention officer Sergeant Triona Brooks. She advises, “If you are going to engage, ask for ID. A genuine caller won’t mind. The basic rule is if you don’t know the person at your door, you shouldn’t let them in and if you are anxious contact your local Gardaí immediately. “For those people who may have elderly or vulnerable neighbours or friends, be a good neighbour and advise them of these bogus …

GARDAí are appealing for witnesses after two people burgled a home in Ennis and assaulted a woman in the house. The incident occurred in the Dun na Hinse estate at 11.43 p.m. on Thursday, February 10. Two males dressed in black and wearing black masks entered an apartment in the estate and assaulted the female resident. When they left the apartment they jumped the wall at the rear. It is not known what vehicle was used and what direction they left in. Crime prevention officer Sergeant Triona Brooks said, “We are appealing for anyone who may have seen any car or persons acting suspiciously in Dun Na Hinse on the night of Thursday February 10 between 23.30hrs – 00.00hrs. “We are also appealing to a person who passed near the scene at 23.45hrs on an electric scooter wearing a high-vis jacket to contact Ennis Garda Station on 6848100.” 

A BURGLAR in Ennis flew the coop after making off with some pigeons, and gardaí are appealing to anybody with information to contact them. At approximately 9pm on Thursday, February 3 a male was seen jumping the rear wall of a house in the Lenabeg estate on Drumcliffe Road. A short time later he got back over the wall carrying a black bin bag. When the owner returned home he realised that five pigeons had been stolen from their coop at the rear of his house. This is just one of a number of burglaries to occur in recent weeks which gardaí across the county are investigating. In Kilrush between 6pm Monday, January 31 and 12 midnight on Tuesday, February 1 the rear window of a house in Place de Plouzane, Kilrush was smashed. Entry was gained to the house and a number of electronic items including a black Sony laptop, a Samsung S7 mobile phone, a Huawei mobile and …

CLARE gardai have issued an appeal to all motorists to avoid parking in disabled parking bays unless authorised to do so. Crime prevention officer Triona Brooks stated, “Please be considerate in the run up to Christmas and leave disabled parking bays for those who are legally entitled to use them.” Clare Divisional Roads Policing Unit observed this vehicle in Shannon town parked on double yellow lines, within 15 feet of a junction and parked across an access and egress point for mobility users. FCN issued Please consider other road users when parking this Christmas. pic.twitter.com/xbzSi8MKqJ — An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) December 9, 2021 “These bays are limited and when they are all occupied, holders of a valid disabled parking permit often have to abandon their plans and wait until such time when a bay becomes available again for them.” “If you are detected stopped or parked in a disabled parking bay and you do not hold a valid permit to …