Car stolen from outside Limerick home following late-night burglary
GARDAI investigating the theft of a car from outside a house on the northside of Limerick city say the culprit had taken the keys from inside the property a short time earlier.
The occupant of the house, in the Shelbourne Park area, had accidently left the front door unlocked when she went to bed for the night.
"A criminal tried her front door, opened it, entered the house, took her car keys, and then drove away in her car," said divisional crime prevention officer Sergeant Ber Leetch.
In another incident, which happened on the same night last week, a would-be thief fled empty handed after a doorbell camera alerted the householder.
"The occupant - a man in his forties - was asleep in his house when he woke to the sound of the alarm on his doorbell camera. He immediately knew that somebody had approached his front door as the sensor had been interrupted and the alarm went off," said Sgt Leetch.
When the man looked out his window, he said a male try the handle of his front door. "He shouted and the male ran off," she added.
Gardai say both incidents should act as a warning that criminals will often check car doors to see if they are open.
"They also check front or back doors of houses or look for open windows in an effort to get into the house easily and quietly," said a spokesperson.