Shortly after 3am, Gardaí received a report of an ongoing burglary on Church Road. Gardaí arrived at the scene, searched the immediate area and recovered tools to the value of approximately €2,500. Following an investigation by Gardaí in Blackrock, a man in his 20s was arrested yesterday, 13^th March 2019. He was detained at Bridewell Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 and has since been charged to appear before the courts at a later date.

Speaking at Anglesea Street Garda Station today, Crime Prevention Officer Sgt Tony Davis said ‘Last year we launched the ‘Secure It Keep It’ campaign which was aimed at raising awareness for construction site security, with an emphasis on marking tools and machinery. Construction sites are by nature easy targets for criminals due to the types of materials, tools and machinery on site. In 2017, €6.3 million worth of tools were stolen from construction sites. Anyone who owns tools should have them marked in some time of way. That can be with any unique identification number you come up with or simply use your Eircode. Keep a record of your tools and the ID you have given them. Take a photo of the tools and email them back to yourself so you have a record of it. Store your tools in a secure area and try not to leave them in your vehicle.

If you are working on site for a prolonged period, we would advise that CCTV be set up. Get good security lighting, fences or hoardings. Localised temporary security alarms should be used. Keep a record of engine numbers chassis number, vehicle ID numbers etc and leave machinery in a well-lit part of the site with the keys removed.

I would ask that everyone in the industry goes to www.garda.ie and takes the ‘Construction Site Checklist Challenge’ with the aim of improving site security.