The first Garda Supporting Safer Communities Campaign of 2012 will be launched by Commissioner Callinan on May 2nd and will run from May 3rd to May 7th.
Burglary prevention is one of the main themes of the campaign, as well as focusing on Victim Support and Road Traffic Education.
Our efforts during the campaign will be focused on raising awareness amongst the public of effective crime prevention and community engagement advice in order to tackle incidences of burglary.
In 2011 there were 27,439 recorded burglaries and related offences within the state.
Many have the following characteristics;
• 1 in 4 burglaries are committed by thieves entering through an unsecured door or window. This figure rises in the summer to almost 1 in 3.
• Many burglaries 60% or more occur post noon. Late school runs and shopping trips are times of note.
An Garda Síochána will use all resources available to it to target these burglars. Operations around the country have already seen several arrests. An Garda Síochána encourages all home owners to partake in community alert or neighbourhood watch schemes to help combat the burglar.
www.garda.ie has dedicated crime prevention advice to help you avoid becoming a victim of burglary.
Maeve Ryan of the Crime Victims Helpline was in studio with Sergeant Kelvin Courtney and discussed the services available to victims of crime.
