Burglaries in Mayo up 20 percent

MAYO saw a 20 percent increase in burglaries from April 2022 to March 2023, when compared to the same period last year.

According to CSO statistics, 149 burglaries occurred in the county during a period when the total number of burglaries remained unchanged nationally. 

Mayo was one of eleven counties which recorded an increase in burglaries while 15 saw a drop in burglary numbers. 

A recent meeting of the Mayo Joint Policing Committee heard that 64 burglaries have been recorded in Mayo so far in 2023, an increase of eleven on the first half of 2022. 

Neighbouring Sligo and Leitrim recorded a 17 percent increase while Galway saw a 6 percent decrease. Roscommon/Longford also saw a 15 percent drop in burglary numbers.

Mayo also saw a 33 percent jump in burglary numbers between 2021 and 2022, largely due to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions which caused burglary figures to plummet. 

Nationally, there were 5,047 burglaries in 2022 versus 3,807 for the same period in 2021.

The figures, which were complied by PhoneWatch.ie for the PhoneWatch Burglary Report 2023, has also revealed that Ireland has one of the highest levels of monitored home alarms ownership in Europe, with almost 20 percent of Irish households estimated to have a monitored alarm.

^{Burglary figures from April 2022 to March 2023 (Phonewatch.ie)}

Commenting on these findings, Eoin Dunne, PhoneWatch Managing Director, said: "It is reassuring to see that Irish homeowners are maintaining a high level of vigilance when it comes to home security and the risks associated with an invasive home intrusion.

"Half of all Irish homes have an alarm system of some type, and a large proportion of these are monitored systems, which we know are much more likely to help protect against the threat of burglary.

"Comparisons between Ireland, where 49 percent of households have an alarm system and figures from England and Wales, where 29 of households have an alarm are very interesting.

"They appear to confirm the view that there is a direct relationship between the number of homes with alarms - 41 percent lower in England and Wales and the rate of burglary, which is 75 percent higher in England and Wales," Mr Dunne concluded.

The full PhoneWatch Burglary Report 2023 can be read here.