Gardaí begin operation to combat expected surge in burglaries over winter

A Garda operation has been launched to combat an expected surge in burglaries over the winter months. 

The winter phase of Operation Thor will target enforcement and preventative activity to prevent potential burglars from exploiting the reduced hours of daylight. 

According to Gardaí, research indicates a surge of up to 20% in this form of crime can occur during the winter months, with burglaries most likely to take place during the hours of 5pm and 9pm on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday. 

Over 6,000 residential burglaries have been reported so far in 2022, marking a decrease from the same period in 2019 when 10,297 were recorded. 

Speaking today, Assistant Commissioner Paul Cleary said, "Residential burglary has a traumatic and often lasting effect on victims. We are especially aware of the need to protect the most vulnerable and older persons who may be fearful of their home being burgled. I want to reassure people that Gardaí nationwide are as determined as ever to target all of the activities of the criminals involved to ensure that we detect crime in advance." 

The new phase of Operation Thor will begin tomorrow (October 1 2022) and run until the end of March 2023. 

It will focus on five main areas to reduce burglary incidents, including visible focused patrols targeting burglary hot-spots, intelligence gathering on known offenders, and high-visibility checkpoints. 

Gardaí will also endeavour to ensure every burglary is appropriately investigated and monitor crime data daily for changes in trends, as well as working with local and national government offering crime prevention advice and reassurance, and keeping victims central to overall operations. 

Community policing strategies will also be utilised to interact with young people and work to divert them from involvement in crime, and Gardaí will continue to use social media and organised campaigns including 'Lock Up/Light Up'. 

According to Gardaí, simple steps to protect your home include turning on lights, using timer switches or motion detectors, locking all doors and windows, using an alarm, and storing keys away from windows. 

Keeping large amounts of cash or jewellery in the house is not recommended. 

An Garda Síochána's property app - launched on September 20 2022 - allows the public to index and record their personal property. 

In a situation where the user has their property stolen, the app has the facility to select the item or items stolen and report the theft to An Garda Síochána.

The app can be downloaded on any smart device form the App Store. 

An Garda Síochána also promotes the ‘property marking’ of your property, with Property Marking engagement days held by local community policing units and regularly highlighted on An Garda Síochána social media sites. 

Contact your local Garda station for more details.