House break-ins (Balbriggan)

Chinafoot

Hi all,

I'm sure those of you from Balbriggan are already aware but there has been a spate of house break-ins in the area since after Christmas. A lot of them in the past couple of weeks seem to have been in the Fancourt Heights/Hampton Cove area.

My own parents house was broken into a few weeks ago and the burglars actually removed one of the front windows.

The lastest I heard of was last week when a neighbours front door was kicked in at 7:30pm setting off the alarm causing the burglars to leg it and escape in a silver car. A few hours later a house in Hampton Cove was done and one in Pinewood. A friend of mine who called the guards was told that there was nobody available because there had been so many break-ins that evening.

So make sure your alarms are on folks!

RedFFWolf

I think it's important I mention that approximately a week ago a house in Tara Cove was broken into.


Now what makes this quite bad is that before the burglary, there was only one person in the house, no cars there either. This person went on a 20 minute walk with his dog. When he got back, he found the house on the inside was overthrown and bits taken. There appeared no struggle to get in. So, there are two things to note from this:

1) Houses are being watched prior to. Whoever targeted the house could have known the family and its occupants and figured the house was clear when this person left. That being said, you could say that it was a chance occurrence: perhaps the burglar was going to try the house around this time of day anyway. However, the break-in occurred around 18:00 in the evening. Similarly, there is another story I heard recently of a break-in in Pinewood while the family was at mass! (Daytime break-ins are becoming a lot more common).

2) The burglar got in because the door was not locked to full capacity. Such doors can be locked by different ways apparently. One way is that you can close the door and then lift the handle so it cannot be opened from the outside without a key. This way is the weaker form of locking the door (you'd want to lock it with the key while the handle is up for proper security). The theory is that the burglar got in through the front door because all he had to do is swipe a particular kind of card down the side of the door and it opens up the door because that form of lock is so weak.


So, I think it's worth saying: keep an eye out for suspicious characters or vehicles in your estate, particularly if they seem to hover around the same spot for a while. I'm sure there are ways of writing off the two suggestions I drew from this, but I also have testimony from others that this is actually what is happening.

Morpheus

Heard of an attempted robbery in tara court, 3 in fulham terrace, and one supposedly in craoibhin park, all tonight!!! Theres 3 or 4 men driving a silver saab, Theyre knocking the doors and if nobody answers they will attempt to break in through the back of the house and then make off in the silver saab.

Madpaddy79

And I will assume you have given this information to the gardai ???!

RedFFWolf

Morphéus wrote: »

Heard of an attempted robbery in tara court, 3 in fulham terrace, and one supposedly in craoibhin park, all tonight!!! Theres 3 or 4 men driving a silver saab, Theyre knocking the doors and if nobody answers they will attempt to break in through the back of the house and then make off in the silver saab.

That's unreal! Either things are really bad (or a shocking once-off coincidence, which I doubt) or there is organisation in this.
Seems most plausible that there is organisation: Looking back at the Balbriggan.net website where there are at least three entries in regards break-ins, the one on March 7th is someone's email where he/she writes "Someone knows something" and seemingly in regards some of the perpetrators' names. On Facebook too I am seeing enough entries and comments that suggest there is universal methodology amongst these perpetrators. Catch one, catch many!

P_1

Only 2nd hand information from Facebook but I have heard that there were 2 lads in a specific car last night in Skerries and Balbriggan robbing unoccupied houses and attacking pet dogs.

Seems their modus operandi is to knock on the front door and if there's no answer they try to break in around the back.

A few quick security tips would be to make sure that the front and back doors are locked as securely as possible before you leave the house and if its possible to lock the kitchen/whatever room the back door opens to do that as well.

Seething with rage hearing what they've done to the pet dogs.

Stay safe folks.

Morpheus

Yes theyve killed 3 dogs in balbriggan alone, 2 by poisoning and 1 with a hammer. theres an award been offered of 1000 euro if anyone can get a name of any of them too as its deemed that they are at least living in the local area. I think a total of 8 houses were hit in balbriggan last night. silver saab seen in the area.

Also, of course all of this information was relayed to the gardai, who arrived up 20 minutes after they had hit the first house and whilst they were there, 3 more houses were done in a small cul de sac down on clonard street which they again raced off to. Gardai are doing nothing pro active about this, they are re-acting to it, same excuses, no car in the area etc, not their fault, with garda stations closing in lusk/rush and no recruitment what can we expect? welcome to the effects of cutbacks to justice.

The community has to do something about these scumbags.

Cardinal Richelieu

Morphéus wrote: »

Yes theyve killed 3 dogs in balbriggan alone, 2 by poisoning and 1 with a hammer. theres an award been offered of 1000 euro if anyone can get a name of any of them too as its deemed that they are at least living in the local area. I think a total of 8 houses were hit in balbriggan last night. silver saab seen in the area.

No very smart using a little used brand.

winda34

So upset about the dogs too, heartless, greedy, stinking scumbags. Hope they get everything thats coming to them ...and more.

dubsontour

A silver saab was also mentioned concerning break ins in Mourne in Skerries facebook on 16th March.. Gave reg and all.. Be a bit of a coincidence if they were not connected.. So be keep your eyes and ears open.. I suffered an attempted break in myself a couple years ago in Rush while I was at home.. Not a nice feeling..
Funny all the break ins happening in the area and nobody arrested, but Mr Shatters is found in a couple days..:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Morpheus

Mr shatters was found immediately.

attempted bag snatch at millfield SC balbriggan was foiled and they chased the thief but he bundled himself into a 93 reg silver saab getaway car on 16th march.

dubsontour

Morphéus wrote: »

Mr shatters was found immediately.

attempted bag snatch at millfield SC balbriggan was foiled and they chased the thief but he bundled himself into a 93 reg silver saab getaway car on 16th march.

Silver saab AGAIN!!
The one involved in the Skerries incident was a 08KE REG..
So there is a lot of silver Saab thieves about ??
Now that's strange..

Morpheus

yeah regardless of the reg its obv the same car. there must be tons of CCTV footage about now of these cretins.

sgarvan

dubsontour wrote: »

Silver saab AGAIN!!
The one involved in the Skerries incident was a 08KE REG..
So there is a lot of silver Saab thieves about ??
Now that's strange..

The one from Balbriggan is meant to be a 93KE reg.

PaulD77

I saw this on facebook earlier. Again second hand info

'According to balbriggan garda silver saab used in robberies rammed two cop car in man o war earlier. But got away they cud be using different cars so watch out.......'

Morpheus

Heard same but from a friend and not from facebook. the two cars were from balbriggan station.... supposedly

sgarvan

A few locals of Balbriggan are getting together to organise a meeting to try combat this issue. The plan is to start estate patrols to have a presence at the vulnerable times of teh evening.

I will provide more info when I have it.

lightspeed

sgarvan wrote: »

A few locals of Balbriggan are getting together to organise a meeting to try combat this issue. The plan is to start estate patrols to have a presence at the vulnerable times of teh evening.

I will provide more info when I have it.

Great idea, it seems vigilante mob rule is the only rule of law left. How these guys can get away with this every nite drivong the same car is an absolute disgrace. I was visiting a friend in pinewood last nite and not one garda patrol car. I did not even see any around the town. If they had more gaurds patrolling they wud not have got away. It wont be until it is all over the news and radio that the government will feel bothered enough to place more patrols in balbriggan.

P_1

sgarvan wrote: »

A few locals of Balbriggan are getting together to organise a meeting to try combat this issue. The plan is to start estate patrols to have a presence at the vulnerable times of teh evening.

I will provide more info when I have it.

A quick point though, this meeting has been heavily advertised on Facebook, b.net etc, it would be prudent not to leave your house empty to go to it, these (censored) see to be quite savvy so best not give them any kind of opportunity.

The Hill Billy

lightspeed wrote: »

Great idea, it seems vigilante mob rule is the only rule of law left. How these guys can get away with this every nite drivong the same car is an absolute disgrace. I was visiting a friend in pinewood last nite and not one garda patrol car. I did not even see any around the town. If they had more gaurds patrolling they wud not have got away. It wont be until it is all over the news and radio that the government will feel bothered enough to place more patrols in balbriggan.

Let me be very clear - there will be no promotion of vigilantism or any unlawful activity in this forum.

tHB

Eoineo

sgarvan wrote: »

A few locals of Balbriggan are getting together to organise a meeting to try combat this issue. The plan is to start estate patrols to have a presence at the vulnerable times of teh evening.

I will provide more info when I have it.

As has been pointed out by more than 1 person on Facebook, and here, this is a form of vigilantism. There is a very fine line here. I understand people want to protect themselves & their property but this is extremely dangerous.

If this "patrol group" do not stick to the absolute letter of the law then even if they catch some of the burglars they will not be brought before the courts and justice served. So what kind of message does that send to other criminals? The patrol group themselves could end up being convicted of obstructing the law.

There is no harm in holding a meeting in support of the Gardai and sharing tips like how to effectively secure your home, set up a neighbourhood watch scheme & look out for your neighbours.

Be very very careful here.

Jimdagym

This actually featured on Adrian Kennedy tonight.

4 more houses done on skerries tonight he read out.

Cardinal Richelieu

Jimdagym wrote: »

This actually featured on Adrian Kennedy tonight.

4 more houses done on skerries tonight he read out.

I use to respect you Jim until you said those words:D

I think the lesson learned is never trust the news feed from Facebook or Twitter. The two garda cars rammed at the Man O War never existed but it did heighten tensions and raise the usual comments abut baseball bats. If your feeling unsafe ring the Garda for advice.

sgarvan

As far as I am aware vigilantism is not the aim of this meeting. It is just to bring a presence to the streets of Balbriggan as a preventative measure.

For anyone that doesnt be on Facebook the meeting is tonight in the Bracken Court Hotel at 7:30. As pithater1 pointed out if you are going to the meeting make sure you leave someone at home in your house.

Eoineo

sgarvan wrote: »

As far as I am aware vigilantism is not the aim of this meeting. It is just to bring a presence to the streets of Balbriggan as a preventative measure.

For anyone that doesnt be on Facebook the meeting is tonight in the Bracken Court Hotel at 7:30. As pithater1 pointed out if you are going to the meeting make sure you leave someone at home in your house.

Vigilantism "to take the law into ones own hands". The Gardai are meant to patrol the streets, not concerned citizens. There is a reason for this.

This recent publicised wave of burglaries isn't a new development. We were victims of a robbery ourselves on Christmas night just gone. There is a lot of misinformation going around and you'll forgive me for being suspicious when the meeting appears to be organised & endorsed by those who benefit from people investing in their own security.

There is nothing wrong with a meeting just it would have been better to request an Extra Ordinary meeting of the Community Policing Forum.

wobblemouth

I spoke to those that had their house raided in Hampton Cove, 3 weeks ago. It happened on a Saturday evening at 7 o'clock. They must've been watching the house, as there was only a window fof 45mins when nobody was there.

Seemed to be after cash or gold, as they didn't bother taking laptops, kindles, tvs, etc. By the sounds of things the dog got off lightly - a basin of water was thrown over her.

Hope they're caught soon (and in a violent struggle the Gardai bash their heads in)!

sgarvan

Eoineo wrote: »

Vigilantism "to take the law into ones own hands". The Gardai are meant to patrol the streets, not concerned citizens. There is a reason for this.

Very true, and point taken. My point on this is there is no violence etc intended. The intend is to walk the estates, monitor houses and inform the Gardai if anything suspicious is being witnesses. People walking on the streets can act as a deterrent.

Eoineo wrote: »

There is nothing wrong with a meeting just it would have been better to request an Extra Ordinary meeting of the Community Policing Forum.

I also believe the plan is to set up a community group, similar to the neighborhood watches that were more active years ago. Gardai & local Councillors have been invited to the meeting.

cathy01

one of the local shops have cctv footage of man that had tried a door .The photo printout has gone to the garda..My brother and brother in law are locksmiths, they are known in the town, well some parts.They have been telling their friends to get better locks , but noone does until its too late. Even at that, does that have the best of locks and alarms have to start turning them on, even when your in the house.


As a mum to a 19 year old male, I worry about the vigillantie approach.Im hoping that hes not at the wrong place at the wrong time.

I hope they are caught soon.Cathy

Eoineo

sgarvan wrote: »

Very true, and point taken. My point on this is there is no violence etc intended. The intend is to walk the estates, monitor houses and inform the Gardai if anything suspicious is being witnesses. People walking on the streets can act as a deterrent.

The reason why the Gardai are the best people to do this is because they have extensive training to do the job, know where the letter of the law is and can act appropriately. Getting a group of people together is all well and good but very few, if any, will have the training to act appropriately if criminals are caught. Even if people who do have security experience are in the group they cannot vouch for or supervise someone who may lose the head, be carrying a concealed weapon. The list of things that could go wrong are too long to mention. As Cathy01 has already pointed out God forbid an innocent youth was accused or accosted in the name of justice.

sgarvan wrote: »

I also believe the plan is to set up a community group, similar to the neighborhood watches that were more active years ago. Gardai & local Councillors have been invited to the meeting.

There is ALREADY a community group (Balbriggan Community Policing Forum) with public meetings designed to liaise between the Gardai, the Council and the local community. Each area in the town has their own representative on this group and there are public meetings held once a quarter. The last meeting was just 2/3 weeks ago and the issue of house break ins and anti social behaviour was raised again. The BCPF have arranged personal safety days, given out free information and worked with vulnerable people within the community over the past number of years. They do great work. Why there is a need for a new association I don't know.

Perhaps those who are organising this public meeting tonight have their own agenda or are unfamiliar with what community groups and their representatives do within the town. Those who have been attending the BCPF meetings will attest to the fact that burglaries an anti-social behaviour is top of the agenda and the Gardai are well aware of what is going on. I am aware of at least 2 Residents' Associations in the town who are in the process of reinstating the Neighbourhood Watch in their estates and have done all the legwork. Again, why the need for a new organisation or watch?

I do not doubt that people are upset and scared. I for one was very, very upset when our car was robbed of all childrens' presents from family on Christmas night. I heard of 4 other burglaries in the area that night but they didn't make it onto Facebook or other social media but they were reported to the Gardai.

Interestingly I have just closed the door to a caller who has travelled from another town within North County Dublin selling security alarms. He tried to scare me into reading the leaflet he had by citing the recent breakins. I'm a very opinionated and vocal (in case you haven't guessed) person but this kind of door to door sales in the current climate will target the most vulnerable. Money is tight for many people these days.

I've been in contact with an number of local representatives between last night and today to voice my concerns about this meeting. I believe the Gardai hold similar concerns.

sgarvan

I was unaware that there was already a group set up to deal with this sort of thing.

I agree with yourself and Cathy that you would not want an innocent youth being target for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I wont be attending this meeting tonight, but I do know the organisers (not naming them here) and am just voicing what I believe they are trying to do.

Eoineo

sgarvan wrote: »

I was unaware that there was already a group set up to deal with this sort of thing.

I agree with yourself and Cathy that you would not want an innocent youth being target for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I wont be attending this meeting tonight, but I do know the organisers (not naming them here) and am just voicing what I believe they are trying to do.

Oh I appreciate that. I'm just aware that far more read this forum than post. At least 1 of the organisers is certainly aware of the Community Policing Forum as they themselves have attended within the past year. This is why I feel there may be another agenda here.

I won't be attending either as I have small children, however I know residents from our area will be attending.