Local officers backing ‘EU Focus Day on Domestic Burglaries’

June 19 is the first EU Focus Day to prevent domestic burglary in the EU, and Community Gardaí in Mullingar will be in attendance in the Harbour Court Shopping Centre on Wednesday June 19 (10am-6pm) in relation to the initiative.

As a member of the European Crime Prevention Network (EUCPN) An Garda Síochána in conjunction with fellow (EUCPN) law enforcement agencies in Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland and Romania are joining forces to prevent domestic burglary in the EU.

The main goal of the campaign is to step up the fight against burglaries by warning and informing EU citizens on how they can prevent burglaries themselves.

Crime prevention officers advise home owners to secure their properties, as one in four burglars enter property through an open door or window.

Thefts of tools, equipment and bicycles increase by a third during the summer.

An unlocked shed or unsecured bike are easy targets for the burglar.

The advice from law enforcement officers is to remember to make your home look occupied, particularly if you intend to be away for an extended period.

Once your home is locked and alarmed, ask a neighbour to regularly check your property, use timer switches or apps to turn on lights, cancel deliveries, tidy the garden and watch what you post on social media.

Gardaí say that one in four residential burglaries in the summer involve entry through an unsecured door or window; that half of all burglaries occur between midnight and 8am; and that around €6.4 million worth of goods and cash were stolen last summer in residential burglaries; and that there was a 32% increase in property being stolen from sheds, domestic garages, driveways and gardens in the summer compared to the winter.

A spokesman for the local gardaí said: “Keep the surprises for your holiday and not when you return.”