Householders in the Galway area have been advised by Gardaí to ensure that their houses are secured and lit up following a series of break-ins.

Gardaí have also asked the public to ‘report immediately’ any individuals or vehicles acting suspiciously in their area following the burglaries during which thousands of euro in cash, jewellery and other valuables were stolen. In one of the raids, a shotgun was stolen.

Two separate mobile gangs are understood to have been involved in the break-ins which occurred in two pockets of the county – the Corrandulla/Headford area and in a stretch of north-east Galway including Monivea, Menlough, Caltra and Kilconnell.

Detective Superintendent Shane Cummins told the Connacht Tribune that the robberies mainly involved entry to the houses by forcing or breaking down backdoors.

“Sometimes, members of the public might be reluctant to make that call on the basis that they wouldn’t want to be wasting Garda time but our advice on this is very clear – make the call straight away. This can be hugely helpful in our investigations,” said Det Supt Cummins.