Concern that biker was scouting vacant Kildare houses for burglars

Residents in a Co Kildare residential estate have raised concerns that a young man on a motorbike could be scouting homes for burglars to target.

The man on a red-coloured motorbike was seen on Tuesday evening of this week.

Burglary gangs often use scouts to identify homes that may be empty and thus easy targets.

Many families start taking their summer holidays at this time of year to avoid the rush and peak prices when schools break up.

At this time of year, Gardai warn people not to post details about their holidays on Facebook or other social media sites.

Helmet with a dark visor

One resident who contacted KildareNow said: "We live at the end of one side of the estate so he drove all the way in and I could see this guy was looking right and left at houses as he went.

"There are some residents on holidays at the moment so a number of homes are unoccupied.

"He was on a red bike and he had a helmet on with a very dark visor so I couldn't see his face.

"He had a dark jacket on and was possibly in his 20s but I'm can't be sure.

"He didn't look me in the eye as he passed."

She added: "If he was lost and looking for a house he could have asked for directions but he didn't.

"I know this happens in the UK where you also have teenagers also scouting houses.

"So I was wondering if anybody saw this motorbike in their local areas?"

Burglaries increase in Kildare - survey

Kildare experienced a 20% rise in the rate of burglaries in 2017, according to a survey by home alarms provider, PhoneWatch.

In total there were 1,169 burglaries in Kildare last year.

This equates to a rate of 16 per 1,000 houses, significantly higher than the national average of 11 and placing Kildare’s rate second highest in the country, behind Dublin.

The busiest Garda stations in the county were Naas (219), Celbridge (157) and Newbridge (124), while the quietest was Castledermot with 19.

 PhoneWatch boss Eoin Dunne said “PhoneWatch research shows that almost 40% of burglars enter through the back of the house.

"This can often be as windows and doors are left open in warmer weather.

"Garden tools are also often used as implements to gain access to houses, while unlocked garages and sheds can prove easy targets.”

PhoneWatch advice includes:

• Always lock windows and doors, and double check in the warmer weather as it may be less obvious.
• Do not leave garden equipment lying around, with ladders the most important to secure.
• Ensure garages and sheds are locked after use
• When away from home, ensure that post and bins are collected, these can be an easy sign that a home is unoccupied
• Use the spring and summer to ensure shrubs and trees are tidied, these can provide a helping hand in gaining access to upstairs windows
• While the evenings are getting brighter, it is still worth setting timer switches on lights to make your home appear occupied after dark.
• When on holidays, wait until you’re home before posting those holiday snaps on social media, to avoid letting others know your home is empty.