Cash and jewellery top of thieves' lists

As the number of burglaries in Meath rockets, garda analysis has shown that 92 per cent of homes targeted had no alarms, while 31 per cent of burglaries involved the theft of cash and 20 per cent the theft of jewellery. Crime statistics released last month revealed a 40 per cent increase in incidents of burglary in Meath between 2010 and 2011, with a total of 1,176 burglaries in the county last year. Now a further analysis of burglaries in Meath from January 2011 to March 2012 has shown that the top items stolen were jewellery, cash, electronics, motor accessories, televisions and tools. Some 31 per cent of burglaries involved the theft of cash and 20 per cent of burglaries involved the theft of jewellery. In 29 per cent of all burglaries, nothing was stolen. Meath Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Dean Kerins pointed out that, in 15 per cent of the houses which were broken into during the analysis period, the criminals came in through an unsecured door or window, while in just under a quarter of all burglaries, the criminals got into the house by forcing or smashing windows. Sgt Kerins said that windows remained a vulnerable area for access in any house, particularly the windows at the side of houses. He is advising homeowners not to leave items such as loose bricks or other similar items close to the entry points at the rear of the premises, as criminals are using these to smash their way in. He added that alarms have proven time and again to be the best deterrent against criminals. "A monitored alarm is a very good way of securing your premises, rather than an alarm with sound activation alone. From the burglaries that occurred in the analysis period, 92 per cent of houses broken into had no alarm, and from the eight per cent of houses that were broken into which had alarms, in many of those, the thieves left empty-handed or were disturbed upon the alarm activating, therefore reducing the impact of the burglary for the owner." In looking at the houses that were broken into where nothing was stolen, the analysis showed that criminals fled empty-handed in 52 per cent of the alarmed houses, whereas only 27 per cent of the non-alarmed houses had the criminals flee empty-handed. Sgt Kerins said: "This is a clear indication that alarms will reduce the time spent by criminals in a house and provide better security. They are economically rewarding in the event of a burglary and justify the initial expenditure. It is also evident that where cars are the intended target, houses with alarms are more secure and the number of incidents is lower with these houses that in the houses where an alarm was not fitted."