GARDAÍ are investigating a number of incidents of burglaries and thefts over the past two weeks and are warning people to be vigilant and to ensure their premises and property are secure as the long nights set in.
A senior garda based in Killaloe warned “The long evenings are coming to an end now and as we get into September, October and November, crime does pick up. “I’m appealing to the public to pick up the phone to us if they see a car acting suspiciously. They should ring it in and try if they can at all to get some portion of the registration number. Sometimes this is all that is needed to break a case for us”.
A pub in Kilmore was broken into between 1.15am on Tuesday, August 27 and 7.15am on Thursday, August 29, by forcing open the rear door. Two televisions, a black 19” and a black 32” and four bottles of spirits were stolen.
Separately a house on Main Street in Tulla was broken into and a number of items of jewellery were stolen.
The incident occurred between 7.50pm and 11pm on Monday, August 26, when the rear door was forced open. A gold charm bracelet with six gold love hearts with names inscribed and a gold solitaire diamond engagement ring were stolen. Anyone who can assist with enquiries is asked to contact Tulla gardaí on 065 6835103.
Gardaí in Killaloe are investigating thefts from two cars parked last weekend. Two cars parked at the slipway in Ballina between 8.30pm and 8.45pm on Saturday last were broken into and property was stolen from them. Anyone who noticed suspicious activity is asked to contact 061 620540.
Elsewhere, there were a number of incidents in Cratloe.
A house in Ballymorris was entered by forcing open the front window between 1pm and 5pm on Friday, August 30. The house, on Well Road, was ransacked but nothing was taken. A silver car with two men was seen acting suspiciously at the time. One is described in his late teens to early twenties and the other in his fifties with dark hair and well built.
Another house in Ballymorris was broken into between 1.30pm and 3.45pm on August 30 through a rear window. Four males were seen jumping over the fence around the time. It is understood that a neck warmer was left at the scene. A small sum of money was stolen.
A third incident was reported in Cratloe when attempts were made to break into a house on Wood Road between 9am and 3pm on the same date.
An attempt was made to break the alarm box and the rear windows were interfered with. Gardaí in Shannon are investigating these incidents and anyone with information is asked to contact them on 061 365900.
In a further incident, a house in Mountshannon was broken into between 8pm on Saturday, August 17 and 8pm on Friday, August 30 at Cloonamirran. Access was gained by breaking the glass in the rear door.
Stolen were a white 21” Acer television/dvd combo; a black 26” Bush flat screen television; a silver 42” Hitachi flat screen television; a black 50” plasma screen television; a silver Rollercoaster 8.5 boat trailer; a Pastol gas nail gun in an orange plastic box; two red Stihl hedge trimmers and three Black Aldi. Anyone with information is asked to contact gardaí in Scariff on 061 921002.
A Ryobi Petrol hedge trimmer with a chainsaw attachment and a black Mercury 3.5 outboard engine were stolen from a shed in Monaskeha, Clonlara between 5pm on Friday, August 23 and 9am on Saturday, August 24. Anyone with information is asked to contact Killaloe Garda Station on 061 620540.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.