Rural homes in Kells area targeted after

Kells gardaí are appealing to homeowners to be more vigilant after seeing a "significant increase in burglaries" in the district, which saw eight incidents in just two days last week. Gardaí say "specifically in the Kells (Garda district) area" people should be making sure that their homes are securely locked, that all items attractive to thieves be taken from parked cars and that, especially in rural areas, anyone noticing people acting suspiciously and suspicious-looking cars be reported and their registration immediately taken to "give us a chance to apprehend". On Thursday and Friday of last week, a total of eight burglaries were reported to gardaí in the area and the overwhelming majority of those were made on rural homes targeted during the day by what gardai believe are roaming opportunists. On Thurday 29th September, Casserly Stores in Allenstown was broken into overnight, via a forced door, and a quantity of cash was taken. Earlier the same day, at around 3.30pm, a house, also in Allenstown, was broken into after a window was smashed in, but nothing was taken. During that break-in, a 19 to 20 year-old male driving a black hatchback with a 1995 Dublin registration was seen acting suspiciously in the area and gardaí are not ruling him out of all of the rest of the day's break-ins - a further three burglaries. In Carnaross at some point during the day on Thursday, between 8am and 6.30pm, a house in a rural area was broken into and a small quantity of jewellery was taken after entry was gained to the premises by breaking a window. In Gillstown, again between 8am and 6pm on the same day, the rear door of a rural home was forced open and jewellery was taken. In this case, a black hatchback was seen acting suspiciously in the area by neighbours and gardaí believe it to be the same '95 Dublin-registered car used in the Allenstown burglary. Finally, between 4pm and 5.30pm, again in Gillstown, a small quantity of cash was taken from a house after a door was forced open. The next day saw three more burglaries, the first two of which were at Meadstown, Dunderry, and are being linked by gardaí. At lunchtime on Friday, the rear window of a house was broken and a substantial quantity of cash was taken after the house was ransacked. This time, gardaí were told of a dark-coloured Mercedes seen in the area acting suspiciously. On the same day, again in Meadstown, a house was ransacked sometime after 9pm that night and only dicovered at 9am the next morning; however, nothing is thought to have been taken by the culprit. Finally, on Friday in Moymet, in the Athboy Garda district, a house was burgled sometime between 12.30pm and 1.45pm and a small quantity of jewellery was taken. Kells Garda Station can be contacted on (046) 924 0999.