Number of burglaries down during 2014

The number of burglaries in County Meath in 2014 was down 12 per cent on the previous year, according to garda crime figures.
This significant decrease was due to the huge efforts put into prevention by the gardai and the public, according to Detective-Inspector Alf Martyn.
Community Text Alert schemes, the rebooting of local Neighbourhood Watch schemes and the Meath Crime Prevention Facebook site all contributed to the decrease, gardai believe.
These initiatives, combined with garda efforts which included checkpoints in strategic locations, all helped reduce the incidences of burglaries in the county, he said.
“There were an enormous number of arrests last year for possession of housebreaking implements and this robust approach also paid dividends,” Inspector Martyn said.
He said the gardai were appealing for the same level, or even increased co-operation, from the public this year. He said they were particularly looking for help from farmers who have a fantastic vantage point to see what is going on in their local communities,
He said they should trust their own suspicions. “Have your local garda district number in your mobile phone and make calls. If it happens to be inaccurate, there is no harm done,” he added.