Number of burglaries decreases in Tipperary

The number of burglaries in the Tipperary Garda Division, which includes

the Nenagh and Roscrea districts, decreased significantly in the first quarter of the current year compared to the same period last year.

 

There were 121 recorded burglary offences in the entire division in the three-month period to the end of March, down from 160 for the same period up to the end of March 2015.

 

The figures have been produced by the home security company, Phonewatch, which says that burglary and related offences are down all over Ireland.

 

The company gleaned the findings from the latest CSO report. According to the first quarterly national household survey for the first quarter of 2016, there is a steady decline in household burglary, with up to 50% in some areas.

 

Commenting on the Tipperary results, the company stated: “These findings correlate to our own PhoneWatch report, which also showed a fall in attempted incidents for the same period.” Eoin Dunne, Managing Director of PhoneWatch, added: “It’s very heartening to see levels of crime on the decline and traditionally the first quarter of the year does see some reduction in attempted incidents. There is no doubt that homeowners are becoming more security conscious and this is helping reduce burglaries. We’ve seen significant demand for our monitored home security system and there is no doubt that a home with a monitored alarm offers protection and peace of mind from burglaries.”

 

However, Mr Dunne warned that the summer is often a busy time for criminals as they know people are away on holidays and houses are therefore easier targets.

“With this in mind we recommend taking adequate security measures before you leave your house for lengthy periods of time,” he said. “Homeowners need to stay alert when it comes to home security. Thieves are opportunists who will take advantage of lax security in a home”.

 

The CSO’s Recorded Crime survey covering the first quarter of the current year showed there were 23,377 recorded burglary and related offences nationwide in the three-month period, a fall of 5,265 (-18.4%) when compared with the previous 12 months. According to PhoneWatch, Irish homeowners are still making it easy for burglars by not taking simple precautions. A recent survey of 1,000 homeowners conducted by iReach on behalf of PhoneWatch showed that:

 

• 41% have left windows open when leaving the house

 

• 38% have left keys hidden in their gardens

 

• 25% have left doors unlocked