Gardaí in the County have issued a warning to rural business owners to be vigilant and advised them to carry out an audit of security following an overnight burglary of a shop and filling station in Letirmacaward.
Business owners are requested to check on the physical security of their premises including doors, windows and roofs to ensure they are capable of withstanding robust attack.
Checks should also be carried out on the operation of intruder alarms and cctv. Intruder alarms should have back up signalling facilities in commercial premises.
This is a basic requirement. CCTV systems should be checked to ensure lenses are clean, focused and tamperproof. Ensure the hard drives for camera systems are secured and not easily accessible. The use of lighting linked to the alarm system will assist cctv to capture quality images in the event of an attack.
Gardaí who are urging people in the community to be vigilant and keep a sharp eye for movement of vehicles late at night or early in the morning in an effort to thwart the movements & activities of organised criminals by contacting the 24/7 Gardaí Station for your area.
Divisional Crime Prevention Officer Sgt Paul Wallace who is based at Letterkenny, said “It is a known and established fact that criminals will target business premises in isolated rural areas at this time of year, particularly in the run up to Christmas.
“The winter weather, darker nights, less movement of traffic on rural roads as people retreat indoors are all elements which contribute to the growth industry at this time of year – crime.”
He added: “Owners of businesses in all areas should also review security in and around their homes. Advice and guidance is available at www.garda.ie / crime prevention. People should not hesitate to make contact with me on 074-91-67161 (direct line- answering service) should they require clarification, advice or information on any aspect of security and this service is free of charge.”
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