A staggering €100 million worth of goods were stolen from Irish homes between June 2007 and June 2008, as residential burglaries increased by 32% since the same period last year. Figures published as part of the annual eircom PhoneWatch Burglary Report - the most comprehensive report on burglaries in Ireland - demonstrate that burglaries outside Dublin have seen the greatest increase, with a 36.2% rise recorded across the country.  However, Dublin still remains the most targeted county in Ireland.

 

Now in its eighth year of publication, the 2008 eircom PhoneWatch Burglary Report found that a staggering eight out of ten burglaries take place while their occupants are at home, a figure which has steadily increased with each year of the Burglary Report View graph. In 2004, only five in ten burglaries were reported to have taken place while occupants were at home. The statistics strongly suggest that residents are not adequately securing their property while they are at home, and that burglars in turn are not deterred by home occupancy.

 

October is the most popular time of year for residential burglary, with 11% of all incidents occurring in this time period View graph.  May, June and July are the least targeted months of the year, suggesting that cover of darkness in the winter months can be a strong motivating factor in opportunistic and planned burglaries.

 

The report also reveals that an average value of €3,996 was taken from each home burgled, which equates to an approximate total of €100m worth of goods stolen from Irish residential households between June 2007 and June 2008 - a 16% increase on last year’s figures. 

 

While Dublin remains the worst-hit county in Ireland, it is the remainder of the country which has seen the greatest increase in incidences of burglary, demonstrating that the phenomenon is not restricted to big cities. Findings indicate a massive 36.2% increase outside of Dublin since the 2007 report, while Dublin has increased by 24.5%.  The top four most targeted counties outside Dublin remain Kildare (6.2%), Cork (5.2%), Limerick (5.2%) and Meath (5%) View graph. Wexford is a new entry to the top ten burglary hotspots, with 3.4% of all burglaries committed there. Meanwhile, Waterford has fallen three places to number ten (3.3%).

 

Dublin accounts for 34% of all burglaries – a 24.5% increase on this period last year.  When the figures are combined with the surrounding commuter belt of Wicklow, Kildare, Meath and Louth, they account for more than half (53.7%) of all burglaries nationwide.

 

Within Dublin, the Southside of the city accounts for over half (54.7%) of all burglaries committed – a slight decrease on last year’s figures of 60%. The most targeted postcode in Dublin is the South County area, accounting for 14.9% of the total in the Dublin area. The areas least likely to be burgled include Dublin West, Dublin 17 (Coolock, Darndale) and Dublin 20 (Chapelizod, Palmerstown).

 

The counties outside Dublin which experienced the greatest increase in the proportion of burglaries since last year’s report include Clare (increased from 3.2% in 2007 to 4.5% in 2008), Offaly (increased from 2.2% to 3%), Galway (increased from 5.2% to 6.4%), Louth (increased from 5.8% to 6.9%) and Wexford (increased from 4.1% to 5.1%). It is also worth noting that in Kilkenny, Cavan and Monaghan, burglaries more than doubled from the period June 2007 to 2008.

 

Nick Quigley, chief executive of eircom PhoneWatch comments: “Over the eight years that we have reported on burglary in Ireland, one insight has remained constant – burglary is a crime phenomenon which is just not going away. The figures consistently demonstrate that the vast majority of burglaries take place while the home is occupied, thus increasing the risk of confrontation and personal danger, so it is of particular importance that people become more security-aware while they are in the home. Security consciousness amongst tenants and home owners clearly remains an issue. There are many simple measures that occupants can introduce today to make their home more secure and to deter opportunistic burglars.”

Maeve Ryan, coordinator of Crime Victims Helpline, which provides advice and support for those affected by crimes such as burglary, comments: “While the theft of €100 million is a shocking statistic, the financial impact of burglary represents only one element of the effect this crime can have upon its victims.  We take calls every day from people who have experienced serious emotional distress following a burglary in their home.  Common emotional effects include anger, fear of re-occurrence, feelings of violation and loss of privacy and grief at the loss of irreplaceable items, which would have been of no value to the thief.”

The eircom PhoneWatch Burglary Report - which has been published annually for the last eight years - was launched to raise overall awareness of the need for increased household security in Ireland. Customers requesting additional information on eircom PhoneWatch can contact 1850 500 900.

 

Crime Victims Helpline offers support and advice to those affected by crime, including burglary. Trained volunteers are available to take calls from 10am to 5pm, Monday to Friday and 2-4pm on Saturdays. Call 1850 211407 or visit www.crimevictimshelpline.ie for further information.

Other key findings from the 2008 Burglary Report include:

• The most targeted day of the week is Saturday (16.3%), closely followed by Friday (16.1%), with Sunday the least targeted day (11%)
• The most likely time of day to be burgled was found to be between 12pm and 4pm (21.9%) – a marked departure from last year’s report which found the most likely time of day to be 12am to 4am.
• Entry through the rear of a property accounts for 45% of all burglaries, with the majority entering through a rear door (23%) and 22% entering through a rear window. A surprising 17.5% were able to break in through the front door. View graph.
• The least targeted time of the day for burglaries remains between 4am and 8am
• Semi-detached homes have edged ahead of detached properties as the most popular type of dwelling to be targeted.  View graph.
• Apartments are the property type least likely to be burgled
• Kildare remains the most burgled county outside of Dublin, accounting for 6.2% of all burglaries outside the Dublin area
• The top ten burglary hotspots in Ireland are: Dublin (34%); Kidare (6.2%); Cork (5.2%); Limerick (5.2%); Meath (5%); Louth (4.5%); Galway (4.2%); Wicklow (4%); Wexford (3.4%) and Waterford (3.3%).
• The areas with the least number of burglaries (in order) are Leitrim, Cavan,  Longford, Monaghan and Roscommon, each of which accounts for less than 1% of all burglaries outside the Dublin area
• Less than half of those households surveyed had an alarm fitted at the time of the burglary.

 

The eircom PhoneWatch Burglary Report was conducted by the OSG Group, the countries leading loss adjustor, based on a sample of 19,393 household insurance claims in the twelve months between 1st June 2007 and 1st June 2008.

 

Other published burglary statistics:

• *CSO Recorded Crime statistics indicate that 25,202 burglaries were reported during the period June 2007 and June 2008.  This represents a 9.4% increase on the 2006/2007 figures for the same period.
• *The most recently published Garda Annual Report (2007) states that  23,191 residential burglaries took place in Ireland between 1st January – 31st December 2007, a 4% decrease on the same period in 2006.
• *The Crime and Victimisation, Quarterly National Household Survey 2006 found that for every 1,000 households in the state, 32 were affected by burglary in 2006.  In over half these burglaries someone was present at the time of the incident.  In approximately 3 in 10 occurrences, such a burglary was not reported to the Garda.  Of the 48,700 households burgled in 2006, approx 15% were burgled more than once.