Warning to homeowners despite the drop in number of Southside burglaries

SOUTHSIDE homeowners have been warned by a security expert not to become complacent coming into the summer months, despite a 20 per cent drop in burglaries in the Dublin Eastern Division.

The number of burglaries in the area has fallen by 451, from 2,293 in 2015 to 1,842 last year, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Blackrock saw the biggest slump in burglaries with figures plummeting by nearly 29 per cent, from 419 to 298, according to the statistics.

In Dundrum, homeowners were safer by just over 26 per cent, down from 778 to 573, while Shankhill saw break-ins fall by almost 24 per cent to 191 from the 2015 tally of 250.

The downward trend continued in Cabinteely where there was a 17 per cent drop in burglaries, from 427 burglaries in 2015 to 356 last year.

Only in Dun Laoghaire was an increased amount of burglaries shown in the recent data.

Here the number rose by five, from 419 to 424 to give a one per cent increase.

Although days are getting longer, homeowners should not ease up on home security measures, according to Jim Toal, managing director of Fairco Windows and Doors.

Mr Toal, who has advised security authorities on burglary prevention over the past decade, believes that the summer brings a rise in opportunist criminals.

“Homeowners should not let down their guard in the summer months by making simple mistakes like leaving doors and windows open,” he said.

“Many people leave windows and front doors open while sitting in their back garden having a barbecue with friends, not knowing that opportunist burglars are often lurking.

“Most burglars of this type just drive into an estate or area looking for an open point of entry to get an opportunity to be in and out in minutes with your valuables.

“It’s summer and that means more daylight hours but burglars don’t always hide under the shadow of night.

If the window is large enough to stick your head through, it’s large enough to break into.

“Leave your window open enough for ventilation but not for access,” he added.

Dublin’s Fairco Windows and Doors were the first Irish company to achieve the ‘police-preferred specification’ PAS 024 certification.

The firm also launched Ireland’s first guaranteed burglar-proof windows and doors which are impossible to breach.

“A human being cannot generate enough force to break into these windows and doors,” Mr Toal insisted.

“Any traditional methods used by burglars have been closed off thanks to a series of enhanced high-security measures.

“The Lifestyle lock has been tested to 6kn – which in simple terms is the equivalent to 600 times the force required to tighten a wheel nut on a family car.

“Our windows have never been penetrated in a domestic situation, and I doubt if they will be.”