Roscommon Garda Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Paul McDermott has warned elderly people in the area to be vigilant with regard to the possibility of crime and theft. The warning comes in the wake of a number of burglaries and incidents that have occurred in the region in recent months.
Speaking to The Roscommon People on Wednesday, Sergeant McDermott said that elderly people should never have large amounts of cash on their person or in their home.
“Elderly people in particular should never have a large amount of cash at home. They should make sure that it is lodged
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Roscommon Garda Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Paul McDermott has warned elderly people in the area to be vigilant with regard to the possibility of crime and theft. The warning comes in the wake of a number of burglaries and incidents that have occurred in the region in recent months.
Speaking to The Roscommon People on Wednesday, Sergeant McDermott said that elderly people should never have large amounts of cash on their person or in their home.
“Elderly people in particular should never have a large amount of cash at home. They should make sure that it is lodged into a bank, credit union or post office. People should have their pension lodged to an account too, if they can. The less cash in the house the better.
“People should also be very wary of callers to the door. People should make sure that they use a door chain when answering the door and never let anyone they do not know into the house. Ask for identification and be satisfied that the ID is genuine before letting any one in.
“We have had several incidents where people call to the door saying that they are from the council or the bank or who are wearing a high visibility jacket. That means nothing at all.
“We had an incident in recent months where a man called to a house in Roscommon town claiming he was from the bank and that he was checking for forged notes. The woman in the house brought him 300 in cash and the man took off with the money. It’s things like that we want to prevent happening.
“There are pendant alarms available and the grants are still there for those and I would strongly recommend them or the wrist-type alarms that are also available.
“I would also be saying that people should be very careful who they allow in to do work on their house or garden. Make sure that you have references from anyone offering to do any work and check those references out before you let them do any work or let them into the house” concluded Sergeant McDermott.
Roscommon People
25 January 2013
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