Please be extra vigilant as there have been a couple of reports this week of prowlers in the grounds of properties in the Tala area, with one attempting to break in during the evening whilst the owners were in the house. The incidents reported have been in the early evening.
Please ensure:
1 That exterior doors are locked even whilst you are in the house so that no-one can sneak into the property whilst you are in another part of the house
2 That all doors and windows are secured when you leave the property - even if only for a very short period of time.
3 That you do not keep valuables or a large amount of cash on the premises.
4 That you do not advertise your absence on social media,
5 That you put in place a monthly check on any alarm system you have to ensure that the batteries are operating and that the SIM card has been renewed - see paragraphs at the end.
6 If there are street lights which are not operating in your area, please phone the Electricity Board on 1800 - you will need a note of the number on the relevant pole so that they can identify the problem light.
7 Be alert for any strangers walking around, or different vehicles driving in the area. If you see anything or anyone suspicious, please phone the Police. Failing this, please take a note of the date and time, plus a description of the person, and/or colour, make and registration number of any vehicle that appears unusual and keep this information safe in case there is an incident in your area.
8 If you have security cameras which pick up prowlers, or any suspicious behaviour, please pass the information on to the Police.
Re Item 5 above - to check on batteries and SIM cards:
For those with intruder alarms, the battery life can be up to 5 years, but it is recommended that the batteries are changed every 3 years to ensure that the alarm is effective.
It is also recommended that you mark the date the batteries were installed on the batteries with a black marker so you don't rely on your memory.
Police have also added that it is worth carrying out a monthly check on your SIM card to ensure it is functioning correctly and that renewal has not been overlooked.
If your alarm system sends out alarm activations or alerts via GSM SIM card, please take some time to ensure that your SIM card is working correctly. If it is not, then you will not receive a text message should your premises fall victim to burglars.
In the case of a SIM 'pay as you go', this must be topped up with €10 of credit every year. If it does not get topped up, the card will be disconnected - and the first you will know about it will be when you do not get an alert text message in the event of a breakin.
If you have an annual contract SIM card, as long as you, or your alarm company, pays the SIM card bill annually or monthly, the SIM card will never be disconnected and will always work.
There have been instances recently where it was thought that the alarm had not worked correctly. However, it was found that the problem lay with the SIM card. Despite being on an annual contract with an alarm company, some SIM cards had been deactivated - most likely because of non-payment of monthly accounts either by the homeowner or the alarm company - the system, therefore, was unable to send text messages to alert the homeowner and/or alarm company.
TO CHECK YOUR SIM CARD IS FUNCTIONING:
Set off the alarm. Let it ring for about 30 seconds to give the SIM card chance to send out the text messages to the numbers stored in the system. If you do not receive a message, then it is likely that the SIM has been deactivated.
It is recommended that a regular monthly test is carried out so that you ensure your system operates correctly in the event of a breakin or attempt thereat.
