Almost €70m stolen as burglaries rise 26% since last year

Burglaries in Ireland have increased by 26% since last year, according to figures published today by Eircom Phonewatch.

The company says burglaries in Dublin were up 12% between June 2005 and June 2006 and accounted for one-third of the total nationwide.

However, the amount of houses targeted outside the capital was up by a massive 35% over the same period.

Eircom Phonewatch says 70% of robberies took place while people were actually in their homes, with thieves most likely to break in between the hours of 12am and 4am and to gain entry via a window.

The average value of goods taken in each burglary was around €4,000, with the total value of stolen property amounting to around €69m.

The conclusions are based on a sample of more than 10,000 insurance claims made during the year.