Burglary breakthrough

Burglary breakthrough


Thieves traced to Sligo after intense multi-district investigation

Neill O’Neill

GARDAÍ have described a breakthrough in recent investigations into burglaries in the Westport area as ‘really significant’. An intense multi-district investigation last week led An Garda SíochΡna to a house in Sligo, where items stolen from Kilmeena during a break-in last Friday morning were recovered.
There has been a spate of such burglaries in the Kilmeena, Carrowholly areas and around the Newport Road area of Westport in recent months. Arrests are now expected to follow, after a house containing foreign nationals was raided by Gardaí in Ballymote, Sligo, last Friday, April 17.
The suspects, described as being from Eastern Europe, were traced after a member of the public reported a car acting suspiciously in Sligo last Friday morning. It is believed that the car, which turned out to have been stolen in Kilmeena between 1am and 6.30am that morning, had run out of petrol, forcing the thieves to push it.
Checking the registration of the reported vehicle, the Sligo gardaí discovered it was registered to an address in Kilmeena. They contacted gardaí in Westport, who in turn called to the owner’s house during the early hours of the morning.  
The homeowner was shocked to learn that not only was his car was missing, his house had also been burgled, and computer equipment and cash had been taken. Though he had been in the house, he had not been disturbed by the intruders. Gardaí believe that the perpetrators likely thought the house was empty.
A subsequent investigation involving Gardaí across Mayo and Sligo, which included reviewing CCTV footage, revealed that the stolen vehicle had taken a route through Newport and into Ballina.
It was further traced to Ballymote, and a house was raided there later on Friday. The items stolen earlier in Kilmeena, including the car, were then recovered.

Praise
An investigation is continuing, and Inspector Mandy Gaynor, who is temporarily in charge of the Westport Garda District while a replacement for Supt Joe McKenna is appointed, commended the work of all the officers involved.
“There have been a number of burglaries of late, and of course we, like the public, were concerned by this, so we have been increasing Garda patrols, activity and checkpoints in recent days. In fact, the suspects in this breakthrough were noted at a checkpoint in the area earlier last week. When a member of the public reported strange activity in Sligo, gardaí there followed a hunch and thankfully it has brought a result for us in Westport.”
Inspector Gaynor explained that gardaí had ‘trawled’ through hours of CCTV in Mayo, and that this had led them to the suspects. The gardaí had been able to track the suspects’ journey northwards through Mayo after they left Kilmeena ‘in a convoy’, via Newport and Ballina.
“This is a significant breakthrough, and it came about from good investigative work from Gardaí, and through the presence of CCTV in towns in Mayo and Sligo,” said Inspector Gaynor, who described CCTV as being an ‘invaluable’ aid to Gardaí in helping to prevent and solve crimes.
The first phase of Westport’s new CCTV system is due to be installed very soon.
While this latest development is welcome, Inspector Gaynor stressed that other recent burglaries in the Westport area may not be related, and that investigations into those incidents are ongoing. As such, the public and all homeowners are urged to remain vigilant about their personal property and security, particularly around their homes and businesses.