Ireland

House thefts total €86m in a year

Valuables worth €86 million were stolen in burglaries in the 12 months to the end of June, a report said today.

Wed Oct 17 2007 - 01:00

Valuables worth €86 million were stolen in burglaries in the 12 months to the end of June, a report said today.

More than one-third of all reported break-ins were in Dublin, a increase of 19.5 per cent compared with a national level of 17 per cent.

Though most burglars are opportunistic in nature, they are experts at ensuring the homes they target deliver maximum rewards
Eircom PhoneWatch chief executive, Nick Quigley

The eircom PhoneWatch Burglary Report also found that 80 per centof burglaries take place while people were at home — up from seven in 10 in 2006 and six in 10 in 2005.

The most likely time of the day to be burgled is between midnight and 4am (21.5 per cent) followed by 4pm to 8pm (21.2 per cent).

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The findings indicate that robbers are not put off by home occupancy and householders are not adequately securing their property while they are in the home.

An average value of €5,930 was taken from each home burgled.

The report is based on a sample of more than 15,505 household insurance claims in the 12 months between June 1, 2006 and June 1, 2007.

Eircom PhoneWatch says said that its seventh annual study proves that most people learn the hard way about home security.

"Though most burglars are opportunistic in nature, they are experts at ensuring the homes they target deliver maximum rewards, said chief executive Nick Quigley.

"The truth is that many individuals do not become security conscious until after the crime has taken place, by which time it is effectively too late."

Although Dublin accounts for 36 per cent of all burglaries nationwide, the addition of commuter counties like Wicklow, Kildare, Meath and Louth bring the figure up to 56 per cent.

Outside Dublin, the most targeted counties were Kildare (6.4 per cent), Limerick (5.35 per cent), Cork (5.28 per cent) and Meath (5.2 per cent).

Within Dublin, the southside of the city accounts for 60 per cent of all burglaries committed. South County Dublin is the most burgled area in the Dublin. The areas least likely to be burgled include Dublin 20 (Chapelizod, Palmerstown), Dublin 10 (Ballyfermot) and Dublin West.

Of the 48,700 households burgled in 2006, about 15 per cent were burgled more than once.

PA