Crime Prevention – Operation Thor and Lock Up Light Up

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On this month’s Crimecall, Crime Prevention segment, Sergeant John Fitzpatrick provided information in relation to Burglary advice and discussed ‘Operation Thor’ and ‘Lock Up Light Up’ the anti-burglary awareness campaign.

Since 2015, Operation Thor actively targets organised crime groups and repeat offenders through coordinated crime prevention and enforcement activity based on intelligence and the latest burglary trends. An Garda Síochána cooperate with our European partners on addressing burglary, especially those committed by Organised Crime Groups, through various EMPACT and Europol initiatives

The Winter Phase of Operation Thor will launch in October 2024, with Garda divisions increasing checkpoints / patrols in burglary hot-spots and motorway network. Gardaí will promote awareness around property safety through Neighbourhood Watch and Community Alert.

5,739 incidents of Burglary (not aggravated) took place between January and August 2023. This compares to 6,150 incidents in the same period last year, a decrease of 7%.

Compared to the summer months, figures* show that that there can be a surge in burglaries during the winter months, particularly during the hours of 5pm to 9pm.

While burglary levels are still significantly lower than pre-pandemic times, there were 3,735 incidents reported since April 2023. The monthly average for this period was 747 incidents per month which is a decrease of 3.7% on the same period in 2022 and a 2.5% reduction compared to 2022/2023 winter phase (October – March).

A reason for this rate potentially remaining low compared to pre-pandemic times is possibly due to people still working for home meaning fewer houses are vacant.

From April 2023 – 01/09/2023:

There have been 3,735 burglary incidents reported nationally.
2,332 (62.4%) of these incidents have been residential burglary.
The highest amount of burglaries during this period occurred in June and July.

‘‘Lock Up Light Up’ is An Garda Síochána's anti-burglary awareness campaign which encourages homeowners to protect their homes over the winter months. Winter burglaries can regularly involve a premises that was unsecured. There is also an increase in the use of entrances at the rear of the residence during winter months, possibly due to being able to operate more easily in the cover of darkness.

Simple steps can help protect your home, so whether you are at home or going out remember:

Turn on some lights, LED bulbs are more energy efficient than traditional bulbs.
Use timer switches / motion detectors / smart lights (turn on lights via phone or timer settings)
Use motion detector / sensor lights outside, make sure the lights emanating from them covers the door and not just the area near the door.
Lock all doors and windows as part of your regular routine.
Use an alarm – get it serviced and ensure battery pack is working.
Store keys away from windows and doors.
Don’t keep large amounts of cash or jewellery in the house.

By taking these simple steps it should reduce the likelihood of a burglary occurring as it will “target harden” you home, deter burglars and protect homes.

Analysis shows that a large number of all burglaries are through the front doors - with most burglars using their own body to gain entry. Other key findings include:

Burglars can commonly target back doors, back windows and front windows, with numerous cases involving a burglar getting access through an unsecured door or window.
Jewellery and cash remain are a commonly stolen object.
Computers, mobile phones, TVs and games consoles are also common amongst items stolen.
A large number of burglaries occur between 5pm and 11pm.
The practice of ‘fishing’, where car keys are fished through a letterbox by burglars is also a problem.