Crime Prevention Corner

With Sergeant Tony Cosgrove, Crime Prevention Officer, Castlebar Garda Station. Tel. 094-38200. Garda Confidential Line: 1800-666111

Motor vehicle related theft is one of the most common crimes in the Mayo Garda Division and includes:

Theft of Property

Theft of Accessories

Theft of Vehicle Itself

Cars have been broken into in car parks at hotels, hospitals, shopping centres, tourist attractions, fishing spots and even at churches while funerals and mass was taking place. The number of cars being broken into could be greatly reduced if owners took the following measures to protect their property.

When Driving Ensure that all doors are securely locked.

No valuables should be left on seats so as to be visible when

stopped in traffic etc.

Parking Park with care, particularly at night or if you are leaving

the vehicle for a long time. If possible, park in a busy, well-lit

area. The safest place to park is your garage. If you do not have

one, use your driveway or a busy, well-lit area. Avoid car parks

which have poor lighting.

When parking in daylight, think how things will look after dark.

Doors Lock them EVERY TIME you leave your car.

Windows Have your vehicle registration number etched on all the

windows of your car. Make sure they are fully closed when the car

is unoccupied, the same applies to the sunroof.

Alarm Most new cars have alarms fitted as standard, if you don’t have one

a good quality alarm should be fitted to your car.

If you have an alarm, turn it on every time you park. In some cases

you have to press the button on the ignition key twice to activate

the alarm.

Immobilisers Consideration should be given to fitting an immobilising

device to vehicles -if already fitted, use it.

Cassette The latest models of cars are equipped with specially

(C.D.) designed car radio/cassette or C.D. units, which are

Radio removable or have anti theft detachable front panels -if it's

fitted, use it.

There are also security-coded units that won't work if

tampered with.

Consideration should be given to marking this equipment with

a pre-selected security code such as your initials and date of birth.

Wheels Lockable wheel nuts are a sensible protection for wheels -if

fitted, use them. Lockable wheel trims are also very effective.

Property Handbags, Wallets, Chequebooks, credit cards or CASH should

Never attempt to disguise property with coats, blankets, etc. They

Never leave any valuables on view in the car. If you cannot

take them with you; lock them in the boot, out of sight. When

you are doing this ensure you are not being observed. Do this

at a location before you park. If you feel you are being

observed, move your car to another location.

Never leave vehicle documents in the car. Your registration

document or insurance certificate could help the thief to sell

your car.

Ignition Key Take the key out even when your car is in the garage.

Never leave your vehicle with the engine running.

If you see anyone acting in a suspicious manner such as walking among cars looking into each one, call the Gardai immediately. If you have witnessed a car being broken into please contact any Garda Station – the next car could be yours, so please help us to put a stop to this particular crime. In an emergency dial 999.

Recently a number of incidents have occurred in the West where strangers have called to the homes of elderly people and offered to do various jobs such as cleaning gutters, replacing facia and soffit, tarmac and painting hay sheds. To gain the confidence of the householder they name somebody in the locality and pretend that they have done work for them, or know them.

They quote a price before the work starts and when the job is completed the price jumps dramatically. The elderly person feels pressurised into handing over the extra money and some have been driven to financial institutions to withdraw the money. While the job has cost way over the normal price the workmanship is usually very poor.

The message from the Gardai is very simple: Don’t employ strangers to do work around your house; they usually give a mobile phone number, which never seems to work. It’s much better to get a local tradesman or handyman to do the job. He will charge the normal rate and the workmanship will be of a good standard.

Don’t allow strangers into your home without first checking out their identity.

All employees of State and Semi-State organisations now carry identification cards.

These cards should be requested and examined, before you let a stranger into your house.

Don’t be fooled by strangers calling to check water, telephone, electricity etc. Don’t be distracted by strangers who have a broken down car or a caller who pretends to be sick and looks for a glass of water.

Fit a door viewer. Then you can safely see who any caller is without having to open the door. A door chain allows you to open the door partly while you check the identity of the caller. If you think any caller looks suspicious the message is clear:

IF IN DOUBT KEEP THEM OUT! You can tell them you are busy, and get them to call back at a time when you can arrange to have someone else present in the house.

Remember, if the person is genuine, they will appreciate your fears and will not mind calling back, or proving who they are.

The main thing to remember is that criminals are opportunists and they will steal your property if they can distract you even for a few minutes. Only keep as much cash in your possession as you require for your immediate needs.

There are lots of ways of paying bills without using cash and advice on money matters is freely available from all the financial institutions.

If you think any caller to your home or your neighbourhood looks suspicious, write down their description also the make, colour and registration number of whatever transport they are using and contact your local Garda Station who will be glad to check them out. 

We are now in the busiest part of the holiday season with many people taking breaks home and away. Many homes are vacant during this period and approximately 80% of burglaries take place in unoccupied houses. Burglars tend to be skilled in recognising signs, which indicate that a particular house is vacant. A few simple precautions can protect your home and ensure that the sight of a burglary at your home does not ruin your return from holidays.

• Do not allow a build up of milk on the doorstep or papers and advertisements in the letterbox.

• Do not allow a build up of letters in the hall visible from outside.

• Blinds should not be pulled down and curtains should be left open.

• Some lights should be put on a timer switch to come on at the appropriate time.

• Make sure all windows and doors are closed and locked.

• The front gate should be left open as a closed gate and no car in the driveway gives a sign that the house may be vacant.

• Don’t pin notes to the door for delivery men or callers.

• Arrange for the lawn to be cut which gives the impression of occupancy.

• Make sure that ladders are not left in the open, or in insecure positions.

• Lock all garages and sheds. Not only do they contain valuable property, but also tools which may help the burglar to gain access to your home. In most circumstances the thief will tend not to carry tools for fear of detection. Don’t make his job any easier by providing them at the ‘site’

• Get a trusted neighbour to regularly check your home, you can return the favour at a later time.

Simply by taking these straight forward crime prevention measures will decrease the likelihood that you will be the burglars next victim, and ensure that your well earned holiday will be memorable for all the right reasons- happy holidays.