Burglaries up 13% across Louth compared to last year

There has been a 13% increase in burglaries across Louth in 2022 compared to 2021 figures, according to the recently released PhoneWatch annual burglary report.

PhoneWatch's annual burglary report outlines their research into burglary patterns over the past ten years. For the report, they looked at 10 years’ worth of CSO Burglary stats along with their own data from their Dublin based Alarm Receiving Centre and some consumer research conducted through Bounce Insights.

According to the report, three out of four (72%) Irish homeowners are concerned about a break-in in their homes, with over a third (39%) feeling worried when home alone. The time of year has a huge impact on how safe people feel, with over half (58%) feeling least protected throughout the winter months and 64% feeling particularly unsafe at night-time. PhoneWatch says it urges all homeowners to take the necessary preventative measures and continue to protect their homes and their cherished items inside. 

PhoneWatch says that although 80% of people have never had a home break-in, or a smoke or fire incident (87%), that doesn’t stop over 40% of us regularly asking our neighbours to check in on our homes while we are not there but this does not deter burglars, as they can be aware that a home is left unoccupied and your neighbours can’t protect your home 24/7.  

Eoin Dunne, Managing Director of PhoneWatch, said “It’s worrying to see a 33% increase in the nationwide burglary rate and indeed an increase across most counties in Ireland. If this rate of increase was to continue until the end of the year, there would be approximately 11,500 burglaries in 2022.

"At PhoneWatch, our aim is never to scare or unnecessarily frighten people, but to make them aware of the realities of burglary so that they can take the preventative measures to help prevent such occurrences. Above all else, PhoneWatch want people to feel safe in their homes. We are reminding all homeowners to take simple but effective steps to help avoid the trauma of a burglary, especially as the dark evenings close in.”