Opportunistic thieves steal valuables from cars in driveways as doors left unlocked

ALMOST 1,000 cars every year are being broken into because the owners left them unlocked in the driveway.

Thieves are making off with an average of €340,000 of valuables a year from vehicles that are often left unlocked and parked in the owners’ driveways, new figures from An Garda Síochána reveal.

The Garda Analysis Service reveals that of 8,571 cars broken into while parked at homes between 2015 and 2017, 2,824 were left unlocked. The analysis reveals breaking into vehicles to retrieve valuables is a lucrative crime for thieves.

An average of €340,000 worth of property is stolen each year, with cash, laptop computers, tools, jewellery, sports equipment and expensive sunglasses the most common items stolen.

Not surprisingly, the vast majority of such thefts occurred when the vehicle was parked in the owner’s driveway.

And the most common time for thefts from vehicles was between midnight and 7am, when the majority of people would be asleep.

The bulk of such thefts – 1,245 – took place in the Greater Dublin Area, followed by the eastern region of the country at 532, the southern area at 411, the western region at 261, 234 in the northern region and 141 in the south-east.

Sgt Kelvin Courtney of the Garda Crime Prevention National Centre of Excellence in Dublin said people should not be complacent about leaving their cars unlocked, even when they are at home.

Stolen

“Many of these thefts, particularly at residential locations, are avoidable, with an average of 33pc of vehicles being left unlocked in the last three years. Unfortunately, this poor practice has risen as 38pc of vehicles were unlocked when they had property stolen from them in January 2018. We’ve even seen cases where two vehicles from the same household were unlocked and broken into,” he said.

He also urged people not to leave valuables in their vehicles if they can avoid it.

But if they must do so, in the case of tools or heavy equipment, they should always keep them out of sight, he said.

As an added precaution, he advised people such as tradesmen who keep expensive tools or equipment in their vehicles, to fit them with additional locking mechanisms.

“Sometimes it is impractical to remove tools and equipment from vehicles. In these cases, owners should take extra steps to ensure the safety of their property,” he said.

Installing a monitored vehicle alarm would also be a deterrent to break-ins, while tracking devices could also be used to trace goods in the event they are stolen, he said. He also advised people to photograph valuables and record serial numbers, makes and models.

Property owners are also advised to download the household property register on the garda website at www.garda.ie to keep track of their valuables.

Gardaí are also reminding people not to leave car keys near a hall table or door or window to prevent car thefts. The vast majority of vehicles that are stolen or broken into are done so by using the vehicle’s keys that are obtained when thieves steal them from the owner’s home.