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December 2009

EXTRA GARDAÍ are being placed on the beat in Blessington to cut down on theft and other crimes during the busy Christmas season.

Additional manpower has been added to the town patrol and will remain in place over the Christmas period. This is to try and curtail thefts and robberies from shops and customers alike.

Shoppers have also been warned to make sure they hide away any presents bought rather than leaving them sitting in plain view inside their vehicles.

A Garda spokesperson says, ‘ the extra man-power is aimed at eliminating threats such as thefts and burglary. At this time of year shops are busy which often provides an opportunity for people to steal goods and items. We also aim to cut down on the amount of drive offs from petrol stations without paying for fuel. We have a steady flow of incidents like this which we are aiming to tackle.

Shoppers must also remain vigilant and not tempt fate by leaving valuables and presents unattended.

‘Valuable shouldn’t be left unattended in cars where they can be clearly seen. We would advise people to place such items into the boot of their car if they intend to leave their vehicle for a period of time.

‘Otherwise you are leaving yourself open to opportunist thieves. Even when people are out shopping in busy stores they should realise they still have to be careful. Handbags shouldn’t be left open or sitting on shopping trolleys otherwise they could end up being snatched.’