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Criminal gangs travelling from Dublin out into rural Ireland are being rewarded by people who keep large sums of cash at home, gardaí have warned.
“You hear of suspect criminals travelling from Dublin, Cork and Limerick out into rural areas,” Sergeant Tom O’Dwyer told a Community Alert meeting in Tipperary.
“Why are they doing it? Because every now and again they get huge sums of money.”
“When they get €5,000, €10,000, €20,000 and even €50,000 in cash, it’s paying them to travel,” warned the crime prevention officer.
“If you know of anyone who keeps big sums of money in their home, try to persuade them to lodge it in the bank, credit union or another institution,” he urged.
When they get €5,000, €10,000, €20,000 and even €50,000 in cash, it’s paying them to travel
“Some people say they would prefer to keep some money in the house so that if they were broken into they could hand it over, a few €10s or €20s,” the sergeant continued.
“That’s your personal choice but if you are going to do that, write down the serial numbers of the notes and if we’re lucky enough to catch them, we can trace it back to you and prosecute them for theft.”
Safe choice
The crime prevention officer recommended that where keeping cash on a premises is necessary, it should be kept in a safe purchased from a qualified locksmith.
“We’ve found that the best ones are safes that are buried in the concrete floor,” he remarked. “Criminals just rip others out of the wall.”
Jewellery
All jewellery in the house should be photographed and receipts kept for both recovery and insurance purposes in the event of theft, advised Sergeant O’Dwyer.
99% of criminals go straight to the master bedroom for jewellery
“And try to keep valuable jewellery hidden in a safe and secure place. We know that 99% of criminals go straight to the master bedroom where all the jewellery is kept in a nice jewellery box.
“They come in, pick up all the gold jewellery in a matter of seconds, even before they look for cash,” he warned.
Other property
The crime prevention officer recommended marking all valuable household items such as televisions, laptops, phones and entertainment systems with your Eircode or a marking system such as Theftstop and Operation ID.
Then record the make, model and serial number of all marked items so that if they are recovered, they can be traced back to you.
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