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NEW statistics released by the Central Statistics Office report significant falls burglaries, robberies, thefts and criminal damage compared to last year.

This is in keeping with a trend all over Ireland, according to the latest CSO report.

The first quarterly national household survey shows a steady decline in household burglary with up to 50% in some areas.

In the Kerry Garda Division there were 46 recorded burglary offences, down from 91 during the same period 12 months previous. “These findings correlate to our own PhoneWatch report which also showed a fall in attempted incidents for the same period,” said Eoin Dunne, managing director of PhoneWatch.

“We always celebrate news like this. It’s very heartening to see levels of crime on the decline and traditionally the first quarter of the year does see some reduction in attempted incidents.

“There is no doubt that homeowners are becoming more security conscious and this is helping reduce burglaries. We’ve seen significant demand for our monitored home security system and there is no doubt that a home with a monitored alarm offers protection and peace of mind from burglaries.”

However Eoin Dunne did add: “The summer is often a busy time for criminals as they know people are away on holidays and houses are therefore easier targets. With this in mind we recommend taking adequate security measures before you leave your house for lengthy periods of time. Homeowners need to stay alert when it comes to home security. Thieves are opportunists who will take advantage of lax security in a home.”

The CSO’s Recorded Crime Quarter 1 2016 survey showed there were 23,377 recorded Burglary and related offences in the year ending Q1 2016, a fall of 5,265 (-18.4%) when compared with the previous 12 months. This was mostly accounted for by an 18.4% decrease in recorded burglary offences.

The number of aggravated burglary offences and possession of an article (with intent to burgle, steal, demand) also decreased.

Phonewatch also recorded a reduction in the number of incidents reported at its Alarm Receiving Centre, the hub where all PhoneWatch alarm activations are immediately responded to and acted upon. Phonewatch logged 111 break-ins in Q1 2016, down from 148 in Q4 2015.

According to PhoneWatch Irish homeowners are still making it easy for burglars by not taking simple precautions. A recent survey of 1000 homeowners conducted by iReach on behalf of PhoneWatch showed that: 41% have left windows open when leaving the house; 38% have left keys hidden in their gardens and
25% have left doors unlocked.