It's one of the simplest of all crimes. Last year 13,292 people reported theft from their vehicles, according to recent figures from the Garda Síochána.
Though up slightly on the previous year, "smash-and-grab" theft from cars is regarded as low-level crime. Radios, CDs, mobile phones, credit cards and bags left on view, or placed in the boot under a thief's watchful eye, tend to be the main targets. It compares with 15,000 thefts from shops and 25,000 burglaries.
The figures are of special interest to firms such as Pentagon Glass Techs operating here on a pilot basis under licence from its British parent.
It supplies and fits its own polyester-based protective film to the inside of a car's side-windows. The film holds shattered glass firmly in place so it takes longer to break through it after it has been hit from outside. But eventually it gives way.
"The film, which is a less than half a millimetre thick, provides over 30 seconds and in some tests over 90 seconds of resistance to an attack, depending on the level of force applied," says Richard McNicholas, manager of the Irish operation.
"We displayed it at the Irish Motor Show and it took 20 hammer blows to force through it. Those doing a smash-and-grab don't tend to hang round that long."
The film is best suited to windows surrounded on all sides so it may not perform quite as well in convertibles.
McNicholas believes SupaGlass will appeal in particular to fleet managers especially if employees carry laptops with a lot of corporate information. The growth of wi-fi technology will also create a demand for it, he reckons, as well as those interested in an extra layer of safety - the film prevents glass chips from flying about in an accident.
It cannot yet be applied to the front and rear windscreens because of the curvature of the glass. However it's the side windows that are typically used in smash-and-grab thefts. Windscreens are laminated, that is two panes of glass with a resin in the middle for greater safety and toughness.
More new cars now offer the option of laminated glass throughout though it also costs. All windows are laminated as standard in cars such as the Lexus LS 430 and the SE version of the restyled Peugeot 607.
"Laminated side-windows are for anti-theft and soundproofing," says Emma Toner of Peugeot Ireland. "The laminated glass in the roof of the Peugeot SWs is for strength, sound, and thermal-proofing.
"Laminated windows don't prevent break-ins but they can hinder thieves. The length of time to break laminated glass can be as his high as over 30 seconds."
McNicholas says well-designed laminated glass can offer as much resistance as SupaGlass. His firm can apply a thinner film, called safety glass, to all laminates, purely as an anti-spalling layer helping to keep any shattered filaments of laminate together.
The company supplies Land Rover and Aston Martin in Britain, Northern Ireland's fire engines, Tony Blair's official and private cars, as well as those of pop-stars and several Premiership players.
Tinted Windows and the Law:
As well as reducing the amount of light that gets in, tinted windows help to reject UV, reduce glare and keep out the heat of the sun and prying eyes.
The amount of natural light that glass lets in is measured in Visible Light Transmission (VLT). The higher the VLT percentage, the more daylight gets through.
Windows rarely let in 100 per cent of daylight. A clear pane of glass has a VLT of 92 per cent. Auto glass is safety glazed which reduces the light transmission to no less than 75 per cent VLT on the windscreen and 70 per cent in the front-side windows. If a tint film is retro-fitted onto the auto glass, the total VLT is reduced even further.
Many countries have legislation governing the VLTs on various windows. Last year, Britain closed off a loop-hole in the law which allowed drivers retrofit any level of tint film to car windows. Now it's illegal in the Britiain to retrofit tint film if the glass and tint combination brings the VLT below 75 per cent on the windscreen and 70 per cent on the front-side windows.
So it effectively rules out tint films forward of the B Pillar and the police have meters to check compliance.
There are no regulations outlining specific VLT requirements in Ireland, though there are several operators applying tint films here.
The Garda point out that by law windscreens must be clear of any obstruction and ultimately a court would decide on any case.
There are four standard shades; Light Smoke (50 per cent VLT), a soft tint which lets in half the light that falls on it, Smoke (35 per cent VLT), Midnight (20 per cent VLT), generally only applied to rear-side and rear-windows and Limousine (5 per cent VLT) which blackens out the glass, akin to looking out through sunglasses at night. It is used mainly on the rear-windows of vans.
However, questions remain over film for the front-side windows which would result in a VLT less than 25 per cent. Published studies suggest this is the lowest safe level.
So this rules out Limousine and Midnight on the front side windows. Smoke (35 per cent x 75 per cent = 26.25 per cent) is the strongest it will apply to them though this is considerably more generous than the new British rules.
As for the future, industry sources believe that cars of the future will be fitted with electro-photochromic glass. It automatically changes tint depending on the strength of the light, just like the photosensitive rear-view mirrors that darken to prevent dazzling from behind.
However, photochromic glass is currently only available on the sunroof of the Maybach, as an optional extra for about €20,000.