Mr. Eddie Downey:

When there is a break-in in an area, the issue is the effect on the rest of the community in the area.

While the break-in is devastating for the people involved, the ripple effect on the rest of the community is the real problem. What we are seeing in rural areas is the impact of an almost siege mentality. When an alarm is installed, one will put it on when one is going out or at night, such that one feels one locked in. This is creating a fear factor. Electric gates and CCTV cameras are being installed all over the place. What we want to try to do is to bridge it to some extent by working in conjunction with other organisations to have community involvement to release some of the fear. It is not just older people, everybody is experiencing genuine fear. There is nothing as devastating as walking into one's house and seeing it ransacked.