Category Archives: Neighbourhood Watch

We originally posted this 4 years ago in July 2018. However it is still all very relevant so we decided it would be no harm to re-post it. There have been a few incidents of burglary and theft in the area recently, so please follow the advice below.

An Garda Síochána have launched a Garda Summertime Safety Campaign, and have asked us to pass on this useful information to all our members.

Tidy Gardens
· Over €1.8 million worth of property was stolen from sheds/garages and gardens in summer burglaries and thefts in the last 12 months.

· Tools, gardening equipment and bicycles made up the majority of the value of property stolen from sheds/garages and gardens (around €1.4 million).

· Burglaries and thefts from sheds/garages and gardens increased by one third in the summer (+33%) despite residential burglaries generally decreasing in this time.

As part of the Garda ‘Summertime Safety’ campaign the public are encouraged to improve their home security by tidying up gardens and securing sheds / garages.

An untidy lawn gives the impression of a vacant home which is more likely to be targeted by burglars. Overgrown hedges or bushes can provide cover for burglars. Ladders and tools left unsecured are often used by burglars to gain entry to homes. The increase in theft of bikes from gardens in the summer versus the winter (+74%) is much greater than the increase of theft of bikes from sheds/garages (+27%). This is possibly connected to people leaving their bikes out around their homes rather than putting them away when not in use in the summer.

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Please continue to inform your road’s co-ordinator if there is something you think they should be aware of, e.g. suspicious callers etc. If you are not aware of who your road’s co-ordinator is, please let us know. For further information about our Neighbourhood Watch, please see this page.

Our Neighbourhood Watch group is looking for road co-ordinators for the following roads:

– Mount Carmel Road
– Mount Carmel Avenue
– Goatstown Road
– Belfield Downs

There isn’t an awful lot involved in being a co-ordinator, in case you’re afraid it might be an onerous task! It involves attending a meeting once or twice a year, and forwarding on the odd WhatsApp message now and again. If you’d like to volunteer (or you want to volunteer someone else!), please let us know.

As the days get shorter, it is timely for all of us to take steps to ensure that our homes are not an easy target for potential burglars. We attended a recent Garda briefing for representative bodies in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown and wish to share the following words of advice from them. Please also take time to consider the relevant sections in An Garda Síochána – Operation Thor’s Lock Up Light Up Campaign 2016 (the links to the PDF leaflets are on the right hand side of the page), in particular the “Lock Up and Light Up” campaign.

• Turn on and leave on some lights in the house. Timer switches are a cheap and easy option to keep your home lit up if you are going to be away. If you have external lighting, take some time to check that the bulbs are ok and that the sensors are working.
• When leaving the house unattended, check that doors and windows are securely locked. A Chubb lock (or similar type) is recommended for your front door for additional security.
• Cars are a popular target for burglars. “Fishing” the keys through the front door letterbox does happen so please don’t leave keys visible and accessible in the front porch. Store your keys away from windows and letterboxes.
• Other than cars, cash and Jewellery are the most popular items for burglars. If you have a home safe, don’t store it in the wardrobe of your bedroom – it’s the first place burglars look. Please don’t keep large amounts of cash or valuable jewellery in the home if at all possible.
• If you do have valuables in your home, keep a record of them. Take a photo, record the serial number (for bikes etc.). The Gardaí do recover property from time to time and you have a number better chance of recovery if you have a record/identification of the items in question.
• Check that your alarm is working properly, and we recommend you get it serviced by a reputable licensed firm if you are not sure. (You can search for a registered contractor here: www.psa.gov.ie/en/PSA/webContract?OpenForm.) We recommend that you consider using the perimeter setting (0#7) when you are at home in the house. If you are the victim of a burglary, please report it to the Gardaí and let your local Neighbourhood Watch representative know about the event.
• Please keep an eye out for your neighbours and their property, especially if your neighbour is elderly and/or living on their own. The local Neighbourhood Watch representative will be happy to meet with anyone who needs assistance in protecting their home and property against unwanted intrusion.
  An Garda Síochána Leaflet – Personal Safety Security for the Older Person

Whether you are at home or going out, remember to turn on some lights, use timer switches, lock all doors and windows, use an alarm, store keys away from windows and letter boxes and don’t store large amounts of cash or jewellery in the house.

We would like to highlight the new “Garda Mobile Support” service.

This service is being introduced to assist those older persons who are unable to make their way to their local Garda station.

It is a service that will provide advice and/or the necessary stamping of documents at people’s homes.

Phone: Blackrock Community Policing Unit:
01 6665200 or 01 6665220

Phone: Dundrum Community Policing Unit:
01 666 5600 or 01 666 5620

Email: blackrock_ds@garda.ie

Five Neighbourhood Watch Community Alert signs have just gone up in our area. Well done to Máire O’Donohoe for organising it all.