TALLAGHT Garda Station recorded more burglaries than any other Garda station in Dublin over the last decade, a shocking new report reveals.
At 7,791 reported break ins over the last 10 years, the Southside suburb earns the dubious distinction of topping the burglary league, according to new analysis carried out by PhoneWatch.
Blanchardstown (6,165) and Dundrum (5,275) were the second and third highest respectively, while with just 186, Garristown received the lowest number of burglary reports for the county.
Overall, Dublin accounted for 41 per cent of all burglaries in the country over the past decade – an astonishing 102,555 – which is the equivalent of one in every five homes or businesses in the county experiencing a break-in during this time.
Commenting on the figures, PhoneWatch Managing Director, Eoin Dunne, said: “While we’re seeing a welcome reduction in burglaries in recent years, the reality is that burglary still remains all too common in Ireland.
“By examining the figures over an extended period, we can see the true scale and impact of burglary in Ireland.
“The good news is that our research shows Irish householders are taking more steps in recent years to protect their homes.”
In total, 245,260 burglaries occurred in Ireland in the 10 years between January 2009 and December 2018. While there were significant variations year-on-year, 2018 saw the lowest number of burglaries for the decade (16,969).
While the darker months have always shown higher levels of burglary for many years, this has become a more pronounced trend in recent years.
Over the past decade, the research shows that when the clocks go back, until they go forward again, burglary rates have been 31 per cent higher.
Overall, November is the highest month for burglary for many years, accounting for 11 per cent of break-ins on average.
In most recent years, there has been a rise in burglaries in January and February, with burglaries during these two months almost doubling over the past decade (+92 per cent).
PhoneWatch also commissioned research on the impact of burglary on homeowners.
Of those surveyed, 52 per cent felt the worst impact of a burglary is the idea of a stranger being in their home, significantly ahead of the loss of possessions at 29 per cent.
This sentiment is echoed by those who have been burgled, with 80 per ent saying the lasting impact has been a heightened awareness of strangers in their area.
Burglary is also an event which many homeowners fear, ranking alongside losing one’s job, or getting into financial difficulty, in terms of perceived impact.
When it comes to possessions, it’s the personal items such as heirlooms (23 per cent) or photos (21 per cent) we fear losing the most. Of more replaceable items, over 20 per cent are concerned about their car keys and 9 per cent about credit cards.
There is positive news in how people are improving their home protection over the past decade. Today, 49 per cent of Irish homes have an alarm.
There has also been a considerable increase in the number of people opting for a monitored alarm system. Some 36 per cent of alarms are now monitored by a professional 24/7 service for added peace of mind.
PhoneWatch, who say they are Ireland’s leading provider of monitored burglar and smoke alarms, has seen a 44 per cent growth in customer numbers over the past 10 years, and now protects 109,500 Irish homes.
However, while we are being smarter about our protection, there are still simple errors people are making when it comes to home security.
A surprisingly high number of people (41 per cent) admit to having left windows open while away, while another 38 per cent have, at one stage or another, left keys outside.