Operation Thor to rob Longford burglars of opportunity this winter

The winter phase of the nationwide policing campaign launched today

An Garda Síochána today launched their winter phase of ‘Operation Thor’ which will see an increase in enforcement with a view to preventing burglars from taking advantage of the reduced hours of daylight.

The summer phase of the operation has already proven itself a success with statistics showing a reduction of 23.5% in the number of residential burglaries occurring during this year's summer phase of Operation Thor compared with the previous winter phase earlier this year.

With the clocks set to go back one hour at the end of this month, the dark evenings means more opportunities for burglaries, so, in a bid to thwart criminals efforts, the Gardai have focused on implementing key elements in communities nationwide, most notably high visibility patrols.

This will see Longford Gardaí, and their colleagues nationwide, conducting high-visibility patrols and check-points in known ‘hot-spots’ at specific times of the day. It is hoped this will reduce the movement of burglars as well as aid Gardai in the gathering of intelligence on known offenders.

Gardai say they will provide a “reassuring presence in the locality” and engage in regular communication with locals about crime prevention measures. Local community policing strategies will be carried out via social media.

Through their ‘Lock Up/Light Up’ campaign, Gardai hope to raise awareness of how to enhance the security of your home and private property.

There are a number of steps that can help protect your house whether you're at home or going out:

- Turn on some lights (LED bulbs are more energy efficient than traditional bulbs)

- Use motion detectors or timer switches

- Lock all doors and windows

- Use a house alarm

- Store keys away from windows

- Don’t keep large amounts of cash or jewellery in the house

- Don’t leave car keys visible on a hall side table if it can be viewed through the letter hatch on the door, or on counter tops that can be seen through the window

The Gardaí have also developed a free Property App whereby members of the public can record their personal property i.e. jewellery, electronic equipment, bicycles, cars, farm machinery, laptops, cameras, etc, so if, in the unfortunate event that one of those items are stolen, they can use the in-app reporting tool to easily inform the Gardaí.

This will immediately give Gardaí all the relevant information they need about the items stolen.

The app can be found HERE.