Gardaí Reveal Winter Burglary Statistics

Key Points

• The most common time for a break-in in Winter is 5pm – 10pm
• One in five burglars enter through an unlocked door or window
• More than half of burglars enter the front or back door

The Gardaí are warning homeowners to stay vigilant as we head into the Winter months. We’re sure you’ve noticed the evenings getting shorter and longer, dark nights traditionally bring an increase in burglaries. The Gardaí have now launched their fifth winter phase of Operation Thor, which will mean more patrol cars in burglary hot spots and increased checkpoints.

During these winter months, the Gardaí urge homeowners to ‘Lock up and Light up’ and they’ve released stats to help understand how and when burglars strike this time of the year.

The most common time for burglars to strike during winter is 5pm – 10pm. Worryingly this is when people are more likely to be home. We’d like to remind HomeSecure customers to set your alarm, even when you’re home and if you’re out, check your alarm to see the status of the system.

The most common entry point for a burglar is through a door, just over half of home intruders enter through a door; 27% coming through the front and 25% through the rear. 28% of intruders enter through a rear window.

Shockingly one in five burglars enter through an unlocked door or window. It’s vitally important that you always double check that you’ve locked the door behind you, especially as most burglars are striking during during hours when you’re often home. A reminder to HomeSecure customers, if your alarm is set it will still activate, even if your doors or windows aren’t locked.

The most common items taken are cash and jewelry, make sure you don’t leave visible for passersby.

If you are looking to secure your home with a monitored alarm, call 1800911740. Remember if a break-in is confirmed, our monitoring station can dispatch the Gardaí, allowing for the fastest possible response time.