Dublin’s homeowners are warned of burglary threat

Dublin People 23 Dec 2015
Dublin’s homeowners are warned of burglary threat

DUBLIN householders have been urged to be on their guard after figures revealed a surge in the number of break-ins across he capital last year.

A shocking 12,688 burglaries were recorded in Dublin  in the 12 months of 2015, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO) third Quarterly Household Survey.

In the 12-month period up to the end of September 2015, 28,407 burglary and related offences were recorded nationwide.

Of these, 12,688 burglaries were recorded in the combined Dublin Garda Divisions, an increase of 1,264 in the previous 12 month period.

Now, PhoneWatch, Ireland’s leading provider of monitored home safety systems, has issued a warning to homeowners to be remain vigilant.

Commenting on the number of burglaries, PhoneWatch Managing Director Eoin Dunne said: “The annual statistics serve as an important reminder to us all about the importance of protecting our homes.

“The steady continuance in burglary and related offences is truly alarming and indicates that the level of burglary has not decreased as the economy improves.”

According to data released by PhoneWatch’s Alarm Receiving Centre, burglars are, perhaps surprisingly, most likely to try and gain access to homes through the front door.

“The front and back doors are the main ways for burglars to enter homes,” Mr Dunne stated. “If we look at alarm activations monitored by PhoneWatch, 50 per cent were caused by attempted front and back door intrusions. So security at these points of entry, as well as strong external lighting at the front and back doors, is very important to protect against burglaries.

“We’re in the peak of the burglary season,” he added “We’ve been monitoring Irish homes for nearly 25 years and over that time we’ve seen attempted break-ins peak between October and January on an annual basis. The longer darker evenings protect opportunist burglars with the cover of darkness enabling them to sneak around properties virtually undetected.”

Mr Dunne said that as a result in recent months there has been a significant increase in demand for PhoneWatch’s monitored security system.

PhoneWatch recently launched a joint initiative with the Irish Crimestoppers Trust aimed at combatting burglaries nationwide.

Speaking about the initiative Mr Dunne said, “While crime prevention initiatives are working, we are still reminding all householders not to let their guard down, become complacent or fall into a false sense of security.”

Crimestoppers, together with the gardai and PhoneWatch launched a campaign to combat the problem of burglary. Irish Crimestoppers Trust (www.crimestoppers.ie) is a confidential means for every citizen to report crime, without fear of recrimination, by calling a freephone confidential number (1800 25 00 25).

How to beat the burglar

PhoneWatch advises all householders that there are a number of measures that they can take to keep their home safe and protect themselves against burglars.

• Ensure that front and back doors are locked and windows shut. Intruders may decide to make an entrance even when you are in the house, attending to children, working, relaxing in front of the television etc.

• Don’t keep spare keys outside – instead ensure your neighbour has a spare key for emergencies

• Install a secondary locking system on front and back doors

• Always set your alarm when leaving the house

• Don’t update social media like Facebook about your holiday plans

• Keep shrubs/hedges trimmed. Overgrown greenery will give burglars a place to hide

• Know your neighbours. Develop rapport and keep an eye on each other’s homes, especially when away

• Leave a light on in the porch or hallway – light deters intruders

• Before answering the door – check for unwelcome visitors.
– check the ID of anyone who asks to enter your home for any type of ‘maintenance’ reason

• Make sure your exterior alarm box is clean – this implies that your alarm has recently been serviced. 

• Always activate your house alarm

• Turn off and unplug all appliances when away

• Ensure all home insurance and contents insurance are up to date.

• If you observe unusual activity in your area, report it to the Gardai.

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