Today marks the third European-wide focus day on the prevention of domestic burglary.
A joint initiative of the European Crime Prevention Network (EUCPN), EUROPOL, and 16 countries, including Ireland, it aims to inform citizens on how best to protect their homes.
According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), Covid-19 lockdown contributed to “sharp falls in recorded crime levels” across Ireland in 2020 – rural crime included.
As our movements were restricted, so too were those of opportunistic thieves, but as lockdown eases, it is anticipated that crime levels will grow.
According to Laois-Offaly crime-prevention officer, Sergeant (Sgt) Graham Kavanagh, burglaries decreased by 44% in the last 12 months (up to May 1). Every Garda region recorded fewer domestic burglaries.
A reduction in burglary (not aggravated) was observed across all regions: Dublin (-50%); east (-27%), northwest (-42%) and south (-52%).
Almost one in four residential burglaries in the summer involved entry through an unsecured door or window compared to one in five in winter.
Around one third of residential burglaries involve entry through a front door.
With all this in mind, there are some practical measures we can all take to beat the burglars, according to Sgt Kavanagh:
- Whether at home or going out, turn on some lights, or use timer switches;
- Lock all doors and windows, remember almost one in four summer burglaries involve entry through an unsecured access point;
- Use your house alarm;
- Store keys safely away from windows and letterboxes;
- Record details of valuables and don’t keep large cash amounts at home.
As normality resumes and staycations become possible, there are a number of things to remember if your home is going to be vacant:
- Ask a trusted neighbour or family member to conduct frequent checks of the property at different times of the day to note any signs of trespassing or interference;
- Ensure the house alarm is set if you are away;
- Check all doors and windows are secure – use deadbolt locks if property is to be vacant for long periods;
- Install timers on internal lights and motion detectors on external lights to make the house appear occupied, and offer natural surveillance of the property;
- Ensure that the building doesn’t look neglected – cut the grass, trim hedges, etc.
- Ask a neighbour to collect post or if you are going to be away for longer periods, or set up a ‘mail minder’ service with An Post to retain post for collection and place a ‘no junk mail’ sign on letter box;
- Inform the local Gardaí about the premises being vacant to afford passing attention on patrols.
If you are going on holiday and your home is going to be vacant, be mindful of what you post on social media:
- Don’t post status updates about your holidays while you’re still away;
- Don’t post pictures while you’re away;
- Respect other people’s privacy, don’t tag others while you and they are on holidays;
- Avoid posting upcoming travel plans;
- Consider turning off the location-sharing setting of your phone’s camera app.
“An Garda Síochána is committed in the fight against domestic burglaries. This European focus day on burglary prevention is an opportunity for us to remember the simple steps to secure our homes,” said Sgt Kavanagh.
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