Garda Park Smart Appeal

Garda Park Smart Appeal - Theft from unlocked Vehicles

-      38% of all vehicles broken into were left unlocked

-      Driveway is a common location for these thefts

-      Over 50% of these thefts occur overnight (midnight to 7am)

Tips to Prevent Theft

-      Whether you park your car or van, take your property with you

-      Ensure your car is locked, alarmed and parked in a safe location

-      Store your keys safely, away from windows and letterboxes

An Garda Síochána is appealing to motorists to park smart as new figures show that one-third of all vehicles broken into in residential areas had been left unlocked by the owner.

Figures from the Garda Analysis Service released today show that 8,571 vehicles parked at residential locations were broken into between 2015 and 2017. Of those, 2,824 were reported to be unlocked.

The analysis also shows that the most common location for these thefts was in driveways, and that half of the thefts occurred between 12midnight and 7am. Such thefts are happening throughout the country.

On average, over €340,000 worth of property was stolen from vehicles each year. Property stolen included cash, laptops, tools, sunglasses, jewellery and sports equipment.

Gardaí are appealing for all vehicle owners to ensure they lock their vehicle no matter where it is parked. Do not store valuables in the car, but if you do have to, keep them out of sight.

Sgt Kelvin Courtney from the Garda Crime Prevention National Centre of Excellence said, "Wherever you park your car or van, we would always advise you to take your property with you and ensure the vehicle is locked, alarmed and parked in a secure, well-lit location.

"Many of these thefts, particularly at residential locations, are avoidable with an average of 33% of vehicles being left unlocked in the last three years. Unfortunately, this poor practice has risen as 38% of vehicles were unlocked when they had property stolen from them in January 2018. We’ve even seen cases where two vehicles from the same household were unlocked and broken into.

"Sometimes it is impractical to remove tools and equipment from vehicles. In these cases, owners should take extra steps to ensure the safety of their property. Additional locking mechanisms to vehicles should be fitted. Consider a monitored vehicle alarm and tracking devices for valuable property. Reduce the payoff to the thief by marking and photographing the property and take a record of serial numbers, makes and models.  Download the household property register for free from the Garda Website for your records.”

According to the Garda Stolen Motor Vehicle Investigation Unit, the vast majority of cars illegally entered or stolen from are done so using the vehicle’s key. The vast majority of vehicles stolen continue to be taken with keys obtained in burglaries.

An Garda Síochána’s advice surrounding any vehicle keys would always be to avoid leaving them on the hall table or near a door/window where they could be easily taken.

The regional breakdown of thefts from unlocked vehicles between 2015 and 2017 is:

Dublin: 1245

Eastern: 532

Southern: 411

Western: 261

Northern: 234

South Eastern: 141

We also wish to make the public aware of the fact that persons who collect cash from financial institutions/banks/ credit unions/ post offices leave the cash in their vehicles and leave the vehicle unattended as they deal with other business.

Below are some examples of cash stolen from vehicles in recent times: 

January 2018- Clondalkin Area- €1000 taken from unattended car
February 2018-Galway area-€5000 taken from unattended car
March 2018 – Limerick area-€300 taken from unattended car
 
• Avoid using cash if possible
• Conceal all cash when entering and exiting the bank/post offices/credit unions
• Do not leave cash in unattended vehicles
• Be aware of your own personal security, and report anything suspicious to the Gardaí as soon as possible