REVEALED: Days of the week your home is targeted by burglars, according to Gardaí

Gardaí have revealed what days of the week you are most likely to be burgled.

As part of Operation Thor, which was relaunched on October 1, Gardaí aim to prevent burglars taking advantage of the dark winter evenings.

Burglaries on a property or premises are most likely to happen between the hours of 5pm and 9pm on a Thursday, Friday and/or Saturday.

Gardaí say this is the optimum time to exploit a property as the dark evenings provide more cover and make it easier for burglars to sneak around unnoticed, and break-in to an empty property.

Detective Chief Superintendent Seamus Boland from the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) said:

"It is deeply traumatic for any person when their home of business premises is burgled. It's an invasion of privacy and often times, even if nothing of sentimental or monetary value is taken, the place never feels comfortable to a victim again.

"There are vulnerable people and people who are elderly that live in more rural parts of the country and can be fearful of being burgled. Gardaí are very conscious to protect these people and reassure them of their presence in the community.

"This winter we will be out on patrol across the country to help protect communities and deter criminals from burglary." 

As part of the summer phase of Operation Thor, burglaries saw a 25% decline, with an overall decline since the operation began in 2015.

Detective Boland said organised burglaries have "their own inquiries on scoping out premises that are going to burgle in any part of the country in advance of them arriving at the scene."

Gardaí have issued a number of tips to help protect homeowners:

• Turn on some lights (LED bulbs are more energy efficient than traditional bulbs)
• Use timer switches/motion detectors
• lock all doors and windows
• Use a house alarm
• Store keys away from windows
• Don't keep large amounts of cash or jewellery in the house

Detective Boland added, "The message is also look out for your neighbours, particularly those who are elderly or vulnerable who are living in your area."