The rate of burglaries and related offences increased by 10% in the 12 months to September last year, with the southern region facing the largest increase at 23%, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

There were 9,981 reported burglaries for the year throughout the country, while theft and related offences also increased by 7% or 5,331 incidents.

Burglaries in the eastern region were also high, with an increase of 9% and the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) had the lowest rate of increase at 5%.

The largest rate of increase for incidents involving burglary and related offences was for the southern region at 23%, followed by the eastern region (+9%). The Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) had the lowest rate of increase at 5%.

Theft and related offences had the largest rate of increase in the number of recorded incidents for the eastern region, up 11%, compared with increases of 9% for the southern region and 7% for the DMR. The rate for the northwestern region was 2%.

The number of crime incidents involving weapons and explosives offences rose by 16% in the DMR and this was followed by the southern region at 13%. The rate for the other two regions was between 4% and 5%.

Following release of the CSO data, gardaí have warned the public to "look for easy targets" for criminals and "make their job harder".

Gardaí have advised home owners to mark property with Eircodes or other unique identification to make stolen goods harder to resell and easier to recover. It has also been advised to use the 'Garda Property App' to record valuables.

Basic security should be used, such as locking all windows and doors, along with securing sheds and garages. Neighbourhood Watch and community alert groups can be used to report suspicious activity, according to gardaí.