Car break-ins Baravore car park

Alun

Just a warning that there were a couple of car break-ins at Baravore car park in Glenmalure last Saturday. Luckily not mine or any of our party, but the two cars parked next to mine were done. In both cases, they had stuff nicked that was on show inside the car, so just make sure you leave anything well out of sight in the boot.

dogmatix

And a Focus had its rear passenger window smashed in Glendalough visitors car park on Saturday last too. I was surprised at that given the number of people there on the day.

nomdeboardie

Ack - I was at Baravore that day - the place was jam-packed at ~1.30 when I arrived (although less populated when I left ~5.30). As with the Glendalough report, just goes to show we can never be complacent. Bastards!

BoardsRanger

I cant believe these scum go all the way out to bravore car park. Im always worried about my car- especially because i do some night hiking also. I hope i never catch these sh1ts at my car because i probably couldnt control myself.
Thanks for the heads up OP.

Dotsyx

Putting stuff in the boot won't always work unfortunately. We were done last year at Brittas Bay in Wicklow - the feckers smashed the side back window and ripped forward the backseat to have a look around in the boot. Got some handbags and phones and bits.

One of the morons hit redial on one of the phones though, calling my brother who was standing next to me, and I managed to run back from the beach when I realised what could have been happening. Saw a van drive away, informed the guards of the make and colour, and they got caught later that evening :cool:

Still, the hassle had been done, cancelled cards etc, and the bags had been tossed before the garda got them, so keep your eyes open for shady types.

dogmatix

I often wonder if the guards could not take a more active approach to this type of crime. Break-in’s at forest car parks, laybys and other places has been a known hazard in Wicklow for decades. So would it not be too much bother for the guards to have a couple of patrol cars and/or motorbikes simply driving around Wicklow, their only job being to check any and all car parks along the way. Two patrol cars and a similar number of motorbikes, primarily dedicated to this could have an impact - at least it could change the perception among the public and criminals alike that this sort of crime is no longer an easy thing.

Perception is half the battle in tackling crime in most cases - when’s the last time you saw a guard in a car park in Wicklow – or in the sally gap for that matter.

Donny5

dogmatix wrote: »

Perception is half the battle in tackling crime in most cases - when’s the last time you saw a guard in a car park in Wicklow – or in the sally gap for that matter.

A good lot of the time. There does often be a Garda Land Cruiser (from Roundwood, I think) up the Gap, often at night and in bad weather as well. A while back, there was even a Garda checkpoint on the Gap between the crossroads and Roundwood.

DubOnHoliday

Thinking of camping up along the Pollanass river in the next few weeks. Does anyone know if the lower Glendalough carpark closes at night?

Donny5

DubOnHoliday wrote: »

Thinking of camping up along the Pollanass river in the next few weeks. Does anyone know if the lower Glendalough carpark closes at night?

It doesn't. If you're in a camper van or caravan, you'll be asked to move on, but otherwise, it's open all night. I don't know about camping along the river; they might move you on, especially if you're planning to light a fire.

DubOnHoliday

The plan is to hike well up into the woods above the valley on Mullacor. Its actually the Lugduff brook I'm thinking of.

Donny5

DubOnHoliday wrote: »

The plan is to hike well up into the woods above the valley on Mullacor. Its actually the Lugduff brook I'm thinking of.

Ah, yeah, go for it, so. Let us know how it's goes.

hmmm

dogmatix wrote: »

I often wonder if the guards could not take a more active approach to this type of crime. Break-in’s at forest car parks, laybys and other places has been a known hazard in Wicklow for decades.

The Guards only have so many resources and spending their weeks driving up and down to Barravore isn't particularly useful.

If needs be we (hikers/mountaineers) should be able to do something ourselves. There's only a handful of big carparks, and if it takes some volunteers to do a rota with a pair of binoculars to catch these lads in the act I'm sure plenty would be up for it.

dogmatix

Donny5 wrote: »

A good lot of the time. There does often be a Garda Land Cruiser (from Roundwood, I think) up the Gap, often at night and in bad weather as well. A while back, there was even a Garda checkpoint on the Gap between the crossroads and Roundwood.

hmmm wrote: »

The Guards only have so many resources and spending their weeks driving up and down to Barravore isn't particularly useful.

If needs be we (hikers/mountaineers) should be able to do something ourselves. There's only a handful of big carparks, and if it takes some volunteers to do a rota with a pair of binoculars to catch these lads in the act I'm sure plenty would be up for it.

For sure, but surely a couple of patrol cars and a two or more motorbikes would not be huge strain on resources? I'd be thinking of all car parks, laybys and other areas where cars are parked while people walk throughout wicklow as well and not just glenmalure.

I like the rota idea - maybe extend to smaller car parks also.

BlackWizard

dogmatix wrote: »

For sure, but surely a couple of patrol cars and a two or more motorbikes would not be huge strain on resources?

Sorry but yes it is. It's really funny that you think a Garda station can afford to hand over a few Garda cars and a few motorbikes. You would empty most Garda stations :P

Donny5

dogmatix wrote: »

For sure, but surely a couple of patrol cars and a two or more motorbikes would not be huge strain on resources? I'd be thinking of all car parks, laybys and other areas where cars are parked while people walk throughout wicklow as well and not just glenmalure.

I like the rota idea - maybe extend to smaller car parks also.

Ah, is crime really that much of a problem in Wicklow? I'm no fan of the Gardaí, but I'm glad they're spending their time on better things than patrolling car parks.

hmmm

Noticed lots of cars with broken windows along the Glenmacnass - Sally Gap road today. There was so many done that someone must have seen who was doing it.

nomdeboardie

Groan. I came across another cautionary tale a while ago also http://www.mountaineering.ie/news/viewdetails.asp?ID=435 reminding me that it's premature to breathe a sigh of relief on getting back to my apparently intact car before I open the door. Shortly after reading that I happened to have a very squeaky window on returning to my car at the Wicklow Gap and got all paranoid that someone htrying to pick the lockad been messing with it; the squeak resolved after greasing when I got the car servoced later, and was prob just a coincidence, but you never know...

Alun

Indeed, they're probably doing it purely at random, but if, despite all the warnings, people will insist on leaving valuables in their cars then on average it'll make it worthwhile to do, and they'll carry on doing it. I saw a notice up on the board in the Glendalough Visitor's Centre recently from a German couple who were wanting any information on the property they'd had stolen from their car up on the Wicklow Gap ... wallets, money, credit cards, passports, cameras, mp3 players, you name it. If people carry on being this naive, it'll still be worth the thieve's time

paulbohs

That carpark in baravore is well out of the way. I'm a bit surprised and i'll be more careful when parking there from now on. On another note, I've seen people camping throwing their rubbish into the countryside. I would have thought they'd have a love of the countryside but I guess not. Whats the deal with lighting a fire in august during the day too :mad:

Donny5

paulbohs wrote: »

I would have thought they'd have a love of the countryside but I guess not.

There's just a culture in Ireland of wrecking the place. Knockree woods are a prime example of campers destroying a lovely area, and the Tallaght side of the Sally Gap is covered in residential and business waste.

BargainHunter

The Glendalough car parks are full of tourist rental cars, with Sat Navs left in clear view on the dashboard. I suspect that is what is drawing the thieves to these areas.