Mayo's burglary statistics buck the national trend
New data has revealed that the number of burglaries in the Mayo Gardaí Division has decreased by 19% in the past 12 months.
A total of 137 burglaries occurred in the division over the past year, down by 19 from 2023. It is the highest decrease among all 28 garda divisions in Ireland.
Leading home security expert, PhoneWatch, says this is an extremely positive outcome, but homeowners still need to be vigilant and take more proactive steps to continue to improve their home security measures.
According to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), burglary numbers have risen sharply across both urban and rural areas.
Nationwide burglaries increased by 10% in the same period with 9,981 taking place.
The data outlines that 21 of the 28 Gardaí divisions have experienced an increase in burglaries within this period.
The combined Roscommon and Longford Gardaí Division saw the highest rate of increase in the country at 56% (277 burglaries), Tipperary increased by 50% (371 burglaries), Westmeath by 35% (272 burglaries), Wicklow increased by 33% (301 burglaries) and Limerick by 27% (571 burglaries).
Eoin Dunne, Managing Director of PhoneWatch, commented: "This 10% increase in burglary rates means that 878 more homes compared to the previous 12 months had to endure a burglary and the traumatic aftermath that comes with it. Even one burglary is one too many.
"In a recent survey conducted with Bounce Insights, it’s no surprise that 50% of homeowners outlined that they’re more concerned about a break-in in their home now compared to a year ago," he added.
"Regardless of whether burglary rates increase or decrease in your Gardaí division, our message to Irish homeowners never changes. It’s imperative you take control of your home security, as burglars are opportunists and identify a weakness in security very quickly and capitalise on this. Homeowners need to act on their security concerns and implement simple but effective home security recommendations, to help deter burglars from their homes," he concluded.
