Dublin continues to top Ireland’s burglary table, with burglaries increasing by 13 per cent this year in the capital and things are set to get worse as we enter November, seasonally the worst month for house break-ins.
Dublin, along with the surrounding areas of Meath, Kildare, Wicklow and Louth accounts for 63 per cent of burglaries nationwide according to the latest figures published by Eircom PhoneWatch in their 2011 report.
Ms Blaitnaid Ni Nuallain from Eircom explained the reason for this, she says it’s simply because of the concentration of a larger population in this area.
Worryingly, the figures also show that November is the most likely month of the year for burglaries to occur and an average value of 1,868 euro worth of belongings are taken from burgled homes. This equates to 48 million euro worth of goods taken from residential households in Ireland over the past 12 months.
Speaking at the Launch of the Burglary Report, Eoin Dunne, General Manager of Eircom PhoneWatch said “Over the 11 years that we have reported on burglary in Ireland, one thing remains constant—regardless of boom or bust burglary is a crime phenomenon which is simply not going away. The figures constantly show that the vast majority of burglaries take place when the home is occupied, increasing the risk of confrontation and personal danger, so it is of particular importance that people become more security aware while they are in the home. This year’s findings show that burglars are more opportunistic than ever and gaining entry through front and rear doors and not only striking under the cover of darkness.”
Mr Barry Lynch from Dyno-Locks, a mobile emergency locksmith service agrees. He said “a lot of people get out of the habit of using their alarm and only use it when the house is going to be vacant for a week or more.”
According to Mr Lynch, this type of behaviour is not good because he says an alarm should be consistently used as part of a ritual lock up every night. “It is worth investing in a new safe if there are valuable items, cash, jewellery, etc. Safes can be bolted to the floor and made difficult to extract. Remember, making things difficult for the burglar is key.”
Lynch quotes reformed burglar and now Channel 4 TV presenter Mike Fazer, “He informs us that burglars are mainly opportunistic and there are tips to make your home as least inviting to a potential burglar by ensuring that the front door has more than one lock, try and have window locks prominent, have cage over letter box and make it hard to see through windows. Chain up wheelie bins as they can be used as ladders and chain up patio sets and ladders and make sure sheds are locked with secure padlocks,” said Lynch.
Within Dublin, the Southside of the city accounts for 63 per cent of all burglaries committed and semi-detached houses represent the most targeted type of dwelling, with Thursday being chosen as the burglars’ favourite day to strike. Dyna Lock’s Barry Lynch also advises “Don’t leave keys in an obvious place like under the mat and if you are going to be away for a while eliminate any give away signs that you are not at home, invest in a timer switch to switch the lights on and off.”
Almost all EU member countries have adopted a similar range of burglary resistance components for doors and windows but not Ireland. Most doors installed in existing Irish homes and apartments are not certified to meet with any form of burglary resistance criteria. While there are several reasons for the burglary problem in Ireland, including increasing unemployment created by economic recession, the quality performance and strength of doors used in Ireland for houses and apartment is inferior to those used in most EU member states. In Sweden when burglary rates rose sharply, the government there introduced its first burglary resistance standard for doors and the burglaries dropped by 27 per cent. Ireland’s burglary rate is twice that of Sweden. This Swedish initiative has been followed by 25 other EU member states.
According to the Garda website most doors fitted to houses in Ireland do not conform to ‘Doors of Enhanced Security’ quality.
