DO you have a tendency
to leave your car or house keys on the hall table?
New Garda figures show there were 200 cases where
car keys where 'fished' through letterboxes last
year by burglars using specially-adapted rods.
Jewellery to the value of €14.2m and €7.8m in cash
were also taken from Irish homes in the last 12
months. In total, property worth €35.1m was stolen
between July 2013 and July 2014 from households,
according to figures released today by An Garda
Siochana.
The statistics also show that the majority of winter
burglaries take place between 5pm and 11pm; the most
common entry points are front door (29 per cent),
rear window (26 per cent), rear door (22 per cent)
while 20 per cent of burglaries take place through
an unsecured door or window.
Sergeant Kelvin Courtney of the National Crime
Prevention Unit said darker evenings and lax
security can make it easier for burglars.
"The longer evenings can help burglars spot if
people are not home. For instance, they can easily
see if a house is empty if rooms are unlit, curtains
are open, and there is no car in the driveway. It
also makes it easier for them to enter a residence
without being seen,” said Sgt Courtney.
Gardaí have now advised householders to take steps
to protect their property with the evenings getting
longer and burglaries typically increasing by 25 per
cent during winter.
- Secure all doors and windows
- Light up your home and use timer switches
- Store keys safely and away from windows and
letterboxes
- Record details of valuables and don’t keep large
cash amounts at home
- Use your alarm, even when you are at home |
