Garda warning over house burglars' decoy visits

Gardai in Athlone say they have reason to believe that several recent local house break-ins happened after the would be-burglars checked whether the residents were in or not first.

Sergeant Andrew Haran told the Westmeath Independent that on several occasions people called to the doors and if they were in and answered they told the occupants they were selling briquettes.
Minutes later, other houses within as little as 50 yards which were unoccupied were targeted, Sgt Haran explained, adding this opportunistic tactic has been used on both sides of the town in recent times.
He is appealing to the public to get in touch immediately if anyone calls to the door selling items or acting suspiciously. If people call the station in a timely manner there is a better chance of apprehending the culprits than if they call a few days later, Sgt Haran advised.
Several other homes were targeted over the weekend as the spate of home burglaries continues to rise in the Athlone area. On Friday evening, between 7pm and 8pm, a side window was breached at a house in Baylough. Some cash and other items were taken.
A house in Clonbrusk, Coosan was also broken into the same evening, sometime between 3pm and 8pm. In this case, some €150 was taken.
Finally, there was considerable damage to a patio door of a house in Auburn Heights on Friday night/Saturday morning. It’s not clear as of yet what was taken during the burglary.
Gardai are working on the possibility that all of these burglaries are linked. Anyone who can assist the investigations is urged to call Athlone Garda Station 09064 98550 as soon as possible.