An Garda Síochána advises that burglaries and related crimes generally increase in the winter months. In addition, burglars may choose specific hours and days to commit a burglary.
Burglaries are likely to happen in the hours of 4pm to 9pm. In addition, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are the days that most burglaries occur in winter.
Covid-19 has caused a sharp decrease in residential burglaries, mostly in March and April due to the restrictions on work, travel, school, and business.
GSAS analysis shows that:
- From March to August inclusive, the reported residential burglaries were 43.1% less than the same period in 2019.
- From 2016 to 2019, the fewest burglaries occurred in June (7% of annual burglaries), while most burglaries occurred in November (9.7% of annual burglaries).
- On average there were 38% more burglaries in November than there were in June. This represents an average of 334 burglaries.
People have been advised to do the following to keep burglars away from their home:
- Turn on some lights
- Use an alarm
- Store keys away from windows
- Don’t keep large amounts of cash or jewellery in the house
- Invest in a security system and cameras
- Invest on a modern safe
- Keep quiet on social media when away
- Get a smart lock
- Close your blinds
- Use smart bulbs and motion-sensitive lights
- Always lock your doors and windows
An Garda Síochána commenced the winter phase of Operation Thor in order to tackle the anticipated increase in the number of burglaries during the winter months.
