Breakin in Charlesland Wood

ChWood

This is my first time posting to this forum but after the events of the weekend I wanted to warn residents of Charlesland to be extra vigilant when you're going out.
On sunday afternoon while my partner went out for no more than 40 minutes our house was broken into. They were still in the house when he returned with the kids in the car but were obviously startled and ran off. We later found some items dumped in the waste ground between Charlesland and Burnaby Lawns...
They used our own garden shears to break the window frame to gain access to the house. It is absolutely heartbreaking to know that someone has taken all our memories... video camera containing hours of video of kids and cameras, laptop and hard drive containing all our digital pics.
I know it could have been worse and at least we weren't in the house at the time but still it's hard to accept that this has happened, that someone has been in our house going through our personal things...
I just wanted to post a warning (although this is probably only one of many) to all local residants; if you have things of value, and i don't mean monetary value necessarily but more importantly sentimental value, do make sure to take care of them...because animals like that don't care about your life.
Thankfully our family is still ok and we can move on but it worries me to know there are people out there watching houses all the time.

MrsA

Sounds terrible, hope you are doing okay?

JAYG

Sorry to hear its very worrying.
Sorry but i just have a few questions so we can try and avoid the same thing happening. Did they enter through the back or front, are you in an end of terrace with access to the rear garden?
I always feel quite secure here, being in mid terrace, as i always have the thinking that if anyone would want to get in they would do it from the back and would be put of having to jump over about 5 high fences to get to us.

Rasmus

Sorry to hear that, I am constantly worried about being burgled. Thanks for letting us know.

Cryos

There is alot of it going around greystones, kilcoole and newcastle at the moment.

Langerland

Very sorry to hear about that. The fact that it was a Sunday afternoon when one would expect most people to be around is even more surprising. Goes without saying (as with living anywhere) the community should be collectively vigilant.

Also, it has to be said, the Gardai did mention a month or so back that there were no reported break-ins in Charlesland for a very long time. There were a spate of them about 2 months back, up around Kindlestown, Applewood Heights and Delgany. From what I heard, one chap the Gardai almost caught was most likely from Dublin. Not sure how they determined this, but probably from interviewing witnesses.

None the less, it is always shocking when you know some pure dirty scumbag has been in your house. So it's no harm for everybody to keep an extra eye out. Even if you do see strange people around and they are not up to any apparent illegal activity, it's no harm to go out of your way to make them aware that you have seen and noted them. Not saying we all have to become Miss Marple....but going the extra yard helps

dr ro

we need more mrs. Mangles not miss marples

RosieJoe

Just one thing to take from this thread is to ensure all your garden tools are locked in a shed. No point leaving tools readily available to them.

Sorry to hear of your loss ChWood. I have had someone try to break into my house many moons ago and it even with them not getting in, it is still a horrible feeling :mad:

ChWood

Hi All thanks for the good wishes... and no we are not mid-terrace so pretty open access to the rear garden

RosieJoe, you're right. we took the lock off the garden shed as kids were constantly asking to open it to get bikes out... purely for convenience but obviously that is a pretty bad idea.

Anyway, I think if people do see anyone hanging around or something that looks a bit odd it's worth making note of it because you never know who's checking out the area.

And btw I definitely think they were local as we found a trail of stuff dumped in the pathway behind the river....

IntheWood

ChWood, very sorry to hear what happened to you.


Not to add any fuel to the fire or freak anyone out, but I’m in Charlesland Wood too, and last Thursday night my car was broken into.

They cleared it out of CDs, sunglasses and such … nothing that cannot be replaced, but still really annoying.

The area is obviously being targeted and goes without saying that everyone should be ultra vigilant and report anything suspicious.

Charlie-Bravo

ditto, sorry to hear about it...

@ ChWood, its not uncommon for thieves to target the same property again....and this could be two weeks after an event. I don't want to seem to be scare mongering...but it happens...I know I'll be extra viligilant from now on.

ciaran67

and still yet to see a copper wandering around Charlesland on the beat.

Bad cop, no doughnut... bad cop, no doughnut

Diairist

i would expect burglaries etc. to increase. the drug distributors are putting pressure on the dealers, the poor dealers are also under pressure from the cops and some dealers have had to move away from their own neighbourhoods.

what if a dealer's stash is robbed? he / she still has to pay the distributor...

so they have to move to pastures greener & easier / safer to find money some other way. Damn you capitalism!

They should all go on PAYE to help me pay 1.2bn to the Greeks.

Mullie

I blame it all on Cash for Gold. Its a legal outlet for stolen jewelry.

loyatemu

Diairist wrote: »

i would expect burglaries etc. to increase. the drug distributors are putting pressure on the dealers, the poor dealers are also under pressure from the cops and some dealers have had to move away from their own neighbourhoods.

what if a dealer's stash is robbed? he / she still has to pay the distributor...

so they have to move to pastures greener & easier / safer to find money some other way.

been watching The Wire a lot?

RosieJoe

ciaran67 wrote: »

and still yet to see a copper wandering around Charlesland on the beat.

Bad cop, no doughnut... bad cop, no doughnut

Change the record Ciaran. Do you spend your time looking out your window all day every day? Have you ever seen a Garda coming into the estate? Have you even bothered to call up to the Garda Station and ask if they could increase their presence in the estate?

No point coming out with the usual Garda bashing crap, it's tiresome and not very productive!

happyhappy

RosieJoe wrote: »

Change the record Ciaran. Do you spend your time looking out your window all day every day? Have you ever seen a Garda coming into the estate? Have you even bothered to call up to the Garda Station and ask if they could increase their presence in the estate?

No point coming out with the usual Garda bashing crap, it's tiresome and not very productive!

i agree, slagging off gardai is childish and pointless. instead, how about anybody who sees anyone suspicious hanging around rings the gardai straight away with a description. as in be proactive about it, especially at in the evenings and night time. if somebody looks out of place often it's because they are up to no good!

cuddlycavies

happyhappy wrote: »

i agree, slagging off gardai is childish and pointless. instead, how about anybody who sees anyone suspicious hanging around rings the gardai straight away with a description. as in be proactive about it, especially at in the evenings and night time. if somebody looks out of place often it's because they are up to no good!

Yep, have done several times and have seen a police car around in minutes.

ciaran67

RosieJoe wrote: »

Change the record Ciaran. Do you spend your time looking out your window all day every day? Have you ever seen a Garda coming into the estate? Have you even bothered to call up to the Garda Station and ask if they could increase their presence in the estate?

No point coming out with the usual Garda bashing crap, it's tiresome and not very productive!

When there seems to be so many break ins in the area why would I have to go to the station to ask for an increased presence? Its their job to be on top of crime. Ive only mentioned the Police twice, for gods sake. I'll get you a sense of humour while im buying a new record.

cuddlycavies

Firstly, I dont believe that there are ''so many'' breakins in Charlesland.
An increased police presence would probably be futile. the sort of petty crime we have is of an opportunist nature.
Small groups of scumbags use a right of way from BL accross the river and field to the shops at Charlesland. If they see something on way back, they take it. My guess is that one such group on the way back from SQ saw the husband in the this house locking up and getting in his car and went for it.
If the police look at cctv from SQ at around the time the house was broken into, they will identify the group. It wont come as a seismic shock to them though.

ciaran67

cuddlycavies wrote: »

Firstly, I dont believe that there are ''so many'' breakins in Charlesland.
An increased police presence would probably be futile. the sort of petty crime we have is of an opportunist nature.
Small groups of scumbags use a right of way from BL accross the river and field to the shops at Charlesland. If they see something on way back, they take it. My guess is that one such group on the way back from SQ saw the husband in the this house locking up and getting in his car and went for it.
If the police look at cctv from SQ at around the time the house was broken into, they will identify the group. It wont come as a seismic shock to them though.

Im only going on whats been said here and it seems theres been quite a few cars broken into and now houses. Im not talking about flooding the area with Police im talking about the odd beat walking through the estate or car driving around the green. Prevention would be better than acting after the fact. If you're in Greystones at night there are loads of police driving around and stopping cars looking for drink drivers. Ive been stopped 7 times in the last month. I dont drink and drive so i dont have a problem with it. For the record i dont have a problem with the police at all. Rose completely over reacted to what i said, perhaps she has family who are in the force. I dont think its much to ask to have a more visible presence in a very small town where there seems to be a rise in theft.

(edit) Sorry if i offended anybody with original post. As most do, i despise thieves.

Langerland

Exaggerating a bit there Ciaran. I think there is one mention on this thread of a car being broken into. Over there years there have been a few mentions in other threads. If you actually speak to the Gardai regarding crime in Charlesland, it is actually quite low statistically (even compared to other areas in Greystones & surrounding areas). Maybe you're bitter because you have been stopped 7 times which I concede would annoy me also. I have never been stopped and I am around Greystones every evening. And I also see a patrol car in Charlesland at least a few times a day. Again, if you talk to the Gardai, this is normal practice and part of their normal patrol. This is highly visible. I actually would not want more visibility. It would only give the impression that the place is crime ridden, which it is not.

RosieJoe

He he, Ciaran ye mad lad!

I can emphasise with you on the fustration of seeing cars/houses being broken into and all the time you are being stopped at checkpoints. Sods law is that most of the time your interaction with the Gards is not required, long may that continue.

BTW Rosie is my nickname, I am male, I have no relatives in the force, my favourite colour is blue ...

ciaran67

RosieJoe wrote: »

He he, Ciaran ye mad lad!

I can emphasise with you on the fustration of seeing cars/houses being broken into and all the time you are being stopped at checkpoints. Sods law is that most of the time your interaction with the Gards is not required, long may that continue.

BTW Rosie is my nickname, I am male, I have no relatives in the force, my favourite colour is blue ...

Oops sorry about the sex change i gave you.

Honestly don't mind being stopped by the Gards at all - i was even breathalysed on one of them two weeks back. Can only be expected when i'm driving around at weekends when the pubs are being kicked out. I was only commenting on my own experiences. If the OP has seen patrol cars 'a few times a day' then fair enough.

Funny, I would of thought red was your favourite colour.

Huntthe

I am having a similar experience and I do mind. It's over kill. I am no longer pleasant about it. They just get silence. Also a car driving through an area is not worth a ****. We need Guards out walking.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Firstly, sorry to hear OP, but you shouldn't be leaving any equipment outside that somebody can use to enter your home. Keep the shed locked, with a good lock and I suggest getting a deadbolt for the back door if you can fit one.

cuddlycavies wrote: »

Firstly, I dont believe that there are ''so many'' breakins in Charlesland.
An increased police presence would probably be futile. the sort of petty crime we have is of an opportunist nature.
Small groups of scumbags use a right of way from BL accross the river and field to the shops at Charlesland. If they see something on way back, they take it. My guess is that one such group on the way back from SQ saw the husband in the this house locking up and getting in his car and went for it.
If the police look at cctv from SQ at around the time the house was broken into, they will identify the group. It wont come as a seismic shock to them though.

Secondly what a load of complete bull... It's slander.

Best not to make sweeping generalisations about people like that.

How in the fooook are they going to link CCTV footage from SuperQuinn to a breakin in Charlesland wood??? This post is filled to the brim with ignorance. Typical really, the disadvantaged families always have and always will get blamed. Why exactly? Sure some of them are up to no good, but you cannot say that about every single one of them. Anyway, what do you class as a "scumbag". Is it how they dress? Their accents? Their features?

Stop the scaremongering and saber rattling... it's not appretiated.

ChWood

Iamxavier -
Firstly, thanks for the very useful comment about locking away stuff, clearly I need it pointed out that we made a mistake...in fact, would you prefer if we took the blame ourselves for trying to live a normal life in a supposedly safe town? I didn't invite them in to my house by leaving a shears in my garden shed.

Secondly, the people who have contributed to this forum as in fact quite correct in assuming where blame lies, we have since found out the identity of the culprit(s) and unfortunately it is just another example that 'a few' will continue to give 'the many' a bad name

Thanks for your input, I started this thread in the hopes that it might save someone else in the area the same type of horrible assault on their home that we experienced...Not for a slanging match about the social classes..

Rasmus

Hi there,
I have read so much on this forum about Burnaby Lawns - but I don't know much about it as essentially I'm a Greystones blow-in. Would anyone mind explaining to me why this area has a bad name and why it has the impression of being inhabited by criminals and scary dogs? Is it in the same area as Burnaby Hill? I am asking in earnest so I can follow the trains of thought in the threads. ChWood, sorry for hijacking your thread, I am sincerely sorry you were broken into.
On another note, re the Gardai, I have seen a fair few of them in Charlesland lately. However I am not sure they are here because of criminal activity, they may just be turning around though while they are conducting their speed/tax/insurance checks as it comes into summer.

budro

A new coffee shop will most likely help with police presence in the neighborhood. Although they do seem to be around here as muuch as anywhere else in Greystones if not more.

pixbyjohn

cuddlycavies wrote: »

Firstly, I dont believe that there are ''so many'' breakins in Charlesland.
An increased police presence would probably be futile. the sort of petty crime we have is of an opportunist nature.
Small groups of scumbags use a right of way from BL accross the river and field to the shops at Charlesland. If they see something on way back, they take it. My guess is that one such group on the way back from SQ saw the husband in the this house locking up and getting in his car and went for it.
If the police look at cctv from SQ at around the time the house was broken into, they will identify the group. It wont come as a seismic shock to them though.

Rasmus wrote: »

Hi there,
I have read so much on this forum about Burnaby Lawns - but I don't know much about it as essentially I'm a Greystones blow-in. Would anyone mind explaining to me why this area has a bad name and why it has the impression of being inhabited by criminals and scary dogs? Is it in the same area as Burnaby Hill? I am asking in earnest so I can follow the trains of thought in the threads. ChWood, sorry for hijacking your thread, I am sincerely sorry you were broken into.
On another note, re the Gardai, I have seen a fair few of them in Charlesland lately. However I am not sure they are here because of criminal activity, they may just be turning around though while they are conducting their speed/tax/insurance checks as it comes into summer.

Cuddlycavies appears to have all the gen on the people who live in that estate behind the Tennis Club.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

ChWood wrote: »

Iamxavier -
Firstly, thanks for the very useful comment about locking away stuff, clearly I need it pointed out that we made a mistake...in fact, would you prefer if we took the blame ourselves for trying to live a normal life in a supposedly safe town? I didn't invite them in to my house by leaving a shears in my garden shed.

I think you are getting the wrong idea. Nobody is blaming you. I made some suggestions as to reduce the risk of this happening again. I would further suggest buying a cheap CCTV, even a replica to discourage people entering your garden or home. I would love to leave my windows open when I am away, or to leave my possessions where I wish, but I cannot.

Secondly, the people who have contributed to this forum as in fact quite correct in assuming where blame lies, we have since found out the identity of the culprit(s) and unfortunately it is just another example that 'a few' will continue to give 'the many' a bad name

The poster I quoted targeted a group of people because of their social status, nothing more. The "holier than thou" attitude that some individuals are displaying here is quite appalling.

I wonder would people appretiate the same contempt shown towards them based on their social status?

Thanks for your input, I started this thread in the hopes that it might save someone else in the area the same type of horrible assault on their home that we experienced...Not for a slanging match about the social classes..

Thanks for starting this thread, it's very appretiated.

As for people waning more police in the area, seriously, get real. Gardai walking the beat in Charlesland? Why? The crime is extremely low. There is no need for the Gardai to be on the beat in Charlesland... There presense is strong enough as it is.