Gardai are appealing for information regarding three men following an attempted house burglary in a rural area of Co. Laois last night at approximately 7:00pm.
The incident occurred in Ballyadams, a Laois townland close to the Carlow border, where thieves were disturbed attempting to break into a house by a homeowner.
According to the Gardai, the criminals forced the gates of the premises open before attempting to break and enter.
Local community alert groups were briefed on the crime last night through the text alert system.
Gardai are appealing to the public for information on the vehicle – if it was seen driving or parked up anywhere yesterday – or anyone acting suspiciously in the area. Anyone with information is asked to contact Portlaoise Garda Station on: 057-8674100.
Operation Thor
Meanwhile, burglaries nationally fell by 23% during November and December under the Winter Phase of Operation Thor, according to provisional figures from An Garda Siochana.
While a rise in burglaries was experienced for a number of months up to October 2017, in the first two months since the launch of the Winter Phase of Operation Thor at the beginning of November 2017, the level of burglaries reported decreased by 23% nationally.
In the South Eastern Region 40% less burglaries were reported in December compared to October, 29% less in the Eastern Region, 25% less in the Western Region, 22% less in the Southern Region, 18% less in the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR), and 15% less in the Northern Region, over the same period of time.
Winter crime surge
It has been established in Ireland and elsewhere that a surge in burglaries of about 20% is likely to arise in the winter months, when daylight hours are at the lowest level, in the absence of effective preventative measures.
Having observed an increase in burglaries in September and October 2017, An Garda Siochana prepared an operational plan for a Winter Phase of Operation Thor, involving the undertaking of targeted enforcement and preventative activity, designed to prevent potential burglars from exploiting the reduced hours of daylight in the months November 2017 to April 2018.
A key part of the Winter Phase of Operation Thor has been the targeting of organised crime gangs (OCGs) involved in burglaries. In recent weeks, members of OCGs have been arrested on a number of occasions in circumstances where high-powered “get-away” vehicles were identified and intercepted.
A critical element of Operation Thor is preventing burglaries from happening in the first place. In this regard, the public have a crucial to role to play in enhancing their home security.
‘Lock up and light up’
An Garda Siochana is advising people to “Lock Up and Light Up” as most burglaries occur between 5:00pm and 11:00pm in winter months and over 50% of burglaries take place either through the front or back door.
Assistant commissioner, in charge of Special Crime Operations, John O’Driscoll spoke on the matter, stating: “We are particularly aware of the vulnerability of older people for whom a burglary can be a very traumatic experience and we are determined to identify and apprehend those who exploit their vulnerability.
The positive start to the Winter Phase of Operation Thor is encouraging and we intend achieving more success throughout the remaining months.
Earlier this week, Assistant Commissioner O’Driscoll met with the most senior detectives in each Garda region to review activity undertaken to date under Operation Thor and plan additional actions to be taken in 2018. The Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) was also represented at the meeting.
Operation Thor, which led to a 30% reduction in burglaries following its introduction in November 2015, is a multi-strand approach to tackling burglaries with an emphasis on preventing the crime from happening in the first instance.
Operation Thor actively targets organised crime gangs and repeat offenders through co-ordinated crime prevention and enforcement activity based on intelligence and the latest burglary trends.