BEWARE: THE THIEVING SEASON IS UPON US
GARDAÍ WARM HOMEOWNERS THAT DARK WINTER NIGHTS PROVIDE ‘PERFECT COVER’ FOR CRIMINALS
WITH the clocks set to go back this Sunday, homeowners have been urged to ‘ beef up’ home security, with Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures indicating an expected spike in the number of burglaries as the dark nights creep in.
However, a Garda source has said the CSO figures, which showed a 78% increase in burglaries across north Cork between quarter three and quarter four of last year, were not a full and accurate picture of the situation on the ground.
According to the CSO figures there were 58 reported burglaries across the division between July and September of 2017, a figure that had jumped to 103 over the final three months of the year.
While the source admitted that the number of burglaries did tend to increase across all Garda divisions during the darker, winter months the CSO figures also included thefts from garden sheds, outhouses and unsecured external farm buildings.
“Traditionally, burglaries and thefts were recorded as different categories. However, in recent years both have been lumped under the single category of burglaries, painting a distorted picture of the actual number of burglaries that occur, which is considerably less than people might expect,” said the source.
“For example, there was only one burglary reported across the entire division, which covers a large swathe of the county, including Mallow, Fermoy, Charleville, Midleton and Cobh, over the 48-hour period from October 21-23.”
Despite this, the Garda source was keen to ensure that people did not become complacent over the winter months, warning that the dark nights offered perfect cover for criminal activity.
“While the winter phase of Operation Thor, An Garda Síochána’s national crackdown on burglaries, will be getting underway in the near future, there is still plenty that people can do to protect their homes and property.”
Using timer light switches when a house is empty, keeping house and car keys away from windows and doors, using alarms even if a house is occupied and not keeping large amounts of cash or jewellery in homes were just some of the tips suggested by Gardaí to deter burglars.
“There are also many other common sense measures that people can take, for example not leaving expensive items such as quad bikes, horse boxes and trailers, in unsecured outhouses.”
The source said that another trend in recent years was thefts from, or of, unlocked cars from outside homes.
“It is often the case that people become lax about security when they park vehicles outside their own houses. One particular thing we have noticed is that people who have card style ignition systems in their vehicles, most notably 4x4’s, do not always take the cards out and leave the vehicles unlocked. Even during the day, this is like an open invitation to thieves.”
“It is recognised that thefts and burglaries do increase over the winter months. However, there are a few simple, common sense steps that people can and should take to make sure they do not become victims of travelling or opportunistic criminals.”