It comes at the launch of the winter phase of 'Operation Thor'.
An Garda Síochána is once again encouraging people to download its new property app.
Earlier this month, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris launched An Garda Síochána Property App which allows the public to index and record their personal property such as jewellery, electronic equipment, bicycles, laptops and farm machinery.
In a situation where the user has their property stolen, the app has the facility to report the theft to An Garda Síochána. This feature allows the user to select the item(s) that was stolen and easily and securely report the theft to An Garda Síochána.
The app can be downloaded from the App Store and the Play Store.
It comes as An Garda Síochána launches the Winter Phase of its operational response, ‘Operation Thor’ undertaking targeted enforcement and preventative activity, designed to prevent potential burglars from exploiting the reduced hours of daylight.
Research indicates that in Ireland there can be a surge of up to 20% in this form of crime during the winter months, when daylight hours are at the lowest level.
Gardaí said burglary is most likely to take place during the hours of 5pm to 9pm on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday during the winter months.
"Residential burglary has a traumatic and often lasting effect on victims," Assistant Commissioner Paul Cleary said.
"We are especially aware of the need to protect the most vulnerable and older persons who may be fearful of their home being burgled.
"I want to reassure people that Gardaí nationwide are as determined as ever to target all of the activities of the criminals involved to ensure that we detect crime in advance.”
Gardaí advised some simple steps which can help protect your home.
- Turn on some lights, LED bulbs are more energy efficient than traditional bulbs;
- Use timer switches/ motion detectors;
- Lock all doors and windows;
- Use an alarm;
- Store keys away from windows;
- Don’t keep large amounts of cash or jewellery in the house.
