News/Blog

Am I eligible for a grant on my Intruder alarm installation?

Yes, The Home Renovation Incentive (HRI) is a relief from Income Tax (IT) for homeowners, landlords and local authority tenants. You can claim the HRI Tax Credit for repairs, renovations and improvements to your home or rental property.

 

Intruder alarms may be used along with other renovations in the Home Renovations Incentive (HRI) Scheme. The Incentive provides for tax relief by way of an Income Tax credit at 13.5% of qualifying expenditure on repair, renovation or improvement works carried out on a main home or rental property by qualifying Contractors. The work must cost a minimum of €4,405 (before VAT) per property, which will attract a credit of €595 per property. Where the cost of the works exceeds €30,000 (before VAT) per property, a maximum credit of €4,050 per property will apply.

Crimewatch Security is an eligible contractor under the scheme and some of our customers have already availed of this grant. For more information on the scheme please follow the link to Revenue.ie http://bit.ly/2tjL83e

 

Can I get a reduction on my home insurance if I have an alarm?

Yes, many insurance companies will give you a reduction of between 10% – 15% on your annual premium if a professional alarm system, certified to EN 50131-1, is installed. Crimewatch Security is a certified intruder alarm installer and we will issued you with a certificate after your installation to produce to your insurer.

 

Michael Neary warned that retail managers aren’t equipped to deal with court cases against thieves

Harvey Norman’s top security man has said legal cases against shoplifters are being “thrown out left, right and centre” because retail managers don’t know how to properly prepare for court.

Michael Neary – head of loss-prevention at the major furniture and electronics chain in Ireland – said, many seasoned shoplifters have had cases dismissed simply because store managers don’t have “their ducks in a row”.

“A lot of retail managers have never been inside a court before,” he said. “The defendant probably has 60, 70, 80 convictions. They know the ropes.”

Neary was speaking at Retail Excellence Ireland’s annual retail retreat earlier this week.

As well as managing ‘shrinkage’ at Harvey Norman, he is chairman of the trade body’s loss-prevention forum.

He told the room full of retailers that their store managers should be trained in how to thoroughly prepare for a case against a thief.

They should have all manner of documentation to hand when they enter a court room, such as a certificate from their CCTV installer to confirm they know how to download video from a security camera.

He said they should even bring the certificate of incorporation because “a clever barrister will get the case thrown out if you don’t have it”.

‘Broken’

Neary was highly critical of Ireland’s legal system, which he described as “broken” and “against retailers”.

“A majority of retailers see the judicial system as ineffective in the fight against crime,” he said. “We have cases that are taking two years to go through the court.”

As a result, a large number of thefts against retailers go unreported, he added.

Neary’s advice for shopkeepers who were regularly losing stock was to spend a morning in the nearest district court: ”It’s the best way to get to know your local shoplifters.”

He said there is no one profile that matches a shoplifter: “I’ve caught nuns, I’ve caught priests, I’ve caught neighbours, lads I went to school with.”

Worrying trends

Neary added that a growing number of criminals are using social media sites to flog stolen goods.

“I spend half my life trawling social media, looking for items that could’ve been stolen from Harvey Norman,” he said.

His advice for store managers was to monitor so-called ‘buy, sell, swap’ groups on Facebook because they are likely to advertise stolen goods.

The security chief also said another worrying trend was the rise in children being used to shoplift on behalf of their parents. Retail Excellence recently highlighted this problem to members of the Oireachtas.

Neary said he has come across cases where children as young as four were being coaxed by their parents to walk out of stores with stolen items.

He also urged retailers to be for false arrests, where individuals pretend to steal an item they have actually paid for and later sue the store for being wrongfully detained. He called the practice “a growth industry”.

“I’ve always been told, ‘If in doubt, let them out,’” he said. “There’s nothing in your store that’s worth €40,000. And it’s not just the cost that the person will sue you for, it’s the reputational damage to your business too.”

Article curtesy of Fora.ie & riskmanager.ie

    Burglary Facts

1. Burglars tend to avoid homes with security systems.
2. Most burglaries take place between 10am and 3pm.
3. The majority of break-ins are committed by burglars who live nearby.
4. Most criminals can burglarise a home in less than ten minutes.
5. 30% of burglars enter a home through an unlocked door or window.
6. An astonishing 34% of burglars enter through the front door.
7. Someone is home during nearly three out of every ten burglaries.
8. Burglars usually go to the master bedroom first.
9. The average properties euro loss per burglary is a staggering €2000
10. Only 13.6% of burglaries in 2016 resulted in arrests.

Long weekend security tip #1: Ask a neighbour for help  

Enlist a trusty neighbour to keep an eye on the property and especially bring the bins in. Nothing screams vacant property like empty bins left on the curb for days. Your neighbour can also empty your letterbox of junk mail, and generally keep an eye on your home.

 

 

 

Long weekend security tip#2: Don’t advertise your absence on social media    

Shouting out on social media that you’re off to the beach is fine amongst trusted friends. But if your social media privacy settings enable anyone to see your posts, well, anyone can see your posts!  That includes thieves, who like nothing better than advance notice that you’ll be away from your home for a time. By all means, share updates on social media. But make sure only trusted friends see them, not a random you worked with ten years ago.

 

 

Long weekend security tip #3: Lights and security   

If you have a home security alarm, check it thoroughly before you leave. It’s easy to get complacent when you have a home alarm, but if you don’t maintain it and check it regularly, it’s useless.  If you have a timer, set your lights to reflect typical household usage. Don’t leave lights on all night. You’ll have an expensive electricity bill and homes lit up at 4am but silent are glaringly obvious to would-be thieves.

 

 

Long weekend security tip #4 keep items hidden from view 

Move your flat screen TV and your latest model gaming console away from the window.  Thieves love to case a property in advance and see what they can grab quickly. Don’t leave cash on the bench or a fancy jewellery box on the bedroom table. Thieves love cash, electronics and jewels. If they see these items from the outside they’ll be very tempted to smash and grab on a long weekend.

 

Long weekend security tip #5: keep blinds open    

It’s tempting to close blinds so thieves can’t see in. But, if your blinds are typically open during the day, closed blinds are a strong signal that your routine has changed. Admittedly, blinds open at night is also a signal to burglars that you aren’t home. It’s a dilemma. We believe that thieves most often case properties during the day. So having the property looking lived in during daylight hours is the best bet.

 

 

 

Top tip…  
As most of us are trying to get out in the garden even if its just for a tidy up, please remember garden tools can be used to help intruders break into your home, so keep them securely locked away and out of sight in a shed or garage.

According to a report in The Irish Times by Conor Lally

Latest CSO report identifies decline in reported crimes but also questions reliability of data

There were just over 14,000 burglaries and related offences recorded in the first six months of 2015 and just over 9,000 in the first six months of 2016.

A major Garda clampdown on prolific burglary gangs has seen a huge fall in the number of break-ins across the State in the first half of the year. (2016)

However, it has also been revealed that almost one in five crimes reported to the Garda last year was not recorded as a crime on the force’s computerised PULSE database.

And one third of crimes committed last year that the Garda was satisfied it had detected resulted in no action against the suspect.

It means gardaí believed they knew the identity of the person who carried out the crime and had marked the crime as detected, or solved, but nobody had been charged.

In many cases while Garda members believe they know who carried out a crime there is not enough evidence to begin a prosecution.

The new information on crime trends in the first half of this year and on the quality of the crime statistics recorded by the Garda last year are contained in separate reports released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) Wednesday.

There was no overall detection rate available for all of the crimes the Garda investigates.

However, the CSO said of the crimes marked as detected by the Garda, 37 per cent had no charges or summonses attached, meaning not prosecution had begun.

The latest crime stastics show that burglaries fell by 26 per cent in the 12-month period to the end of June compared with the corresponding period last year.

When burglary rates for the first six months of this year are compared with the first six months of last year, the decrease is 36 per cent.

There were just over 14,000 burglaries and related offences recorded in the first six months of 2015 and just over 9,000 in the first six months of 2016

 

At a sitting of Naas District Court on Monday, the 4th July 2016, Liam Whoriskey trading as Whoriskey Security Systems, based in Newbridge, Co Kildare, was convicted under Section 37 of Private Security Authority Act for providing a security service without a licence. Judge John Coughlan sentenced Mr. Whoriskey to 8 months in prison and directed that the defendant be taken into custody.

 

Mr Whoriskey had been prosecuted by the PSA on two previous occasions in 2010 and 2012. The latest prosecution arises from an extensive investigation by the PSA’s inspector into the installation of intruder alarm and CCTV systems by unlicensed operators.

Speaking following the successful prosecution, the PSA’s Chief Executive, Paul Scallan, warned “that the PSA would continue to target those contractors who refuse to comply with the licensing regime. This year our inspectors have visited over 2,000 premises to check that the law is being complied with and these inspections will continue. It is important that businesses and householders realise that using unlicensed services leaves them open to prosecution and may also invalidate their insurance cover.”

The PSA website, www.psa.gov.ie, provides a register of all licensed contractors and businesses and householders should check the register before engaging an intruder alarm, CCTV or access control contractor to install or service their system.

Mr. Whoriskey was subsequently released on bail pending an appeal.

 

Homeowners have a responsibility to ensure they only employ a PSA Licenced company to carry out the security work on their premises – if not, the homeowner is liable if convicted of a €10,000 fine and/or 3 months imprisonment.