AGM minutes 18th May 2023

Posted on May 21, 2023 by pineshadleigh

Annual General Meeting – 18th May 2023 – 7.30pm

St. Brigid’s GAA Club, Russell Park

Meeting Minutes:

We had 44 neighbours in attendance with apologies from a further 11 neighbours.  

Stg Rory Carey also sent his apologies that they were not in a position to attend.

The meeting was chaired by the area coordinator for the group – Lorcan Sheehan

Agenda

•        Review of last AGM minutes and actions

•        Financial update and report

•        Review of the Neighbourhood Watch activity

•        Confirmation of Area coordinator, street coordinator, secretary and treasurer roles

•        Q&A with local Gardai – will be rescheduled with other NW groups

•        Any other business.

2019 AGM Minutes

Due to Covid, the group has not had a General Meeting since 2019.    The minutes of the 2019 AGM were read and approved.

Finance Report

NW finances were reviewed from 2019 to the end of March 2023. 

Key highlights:

Addition of Beechpark Lawn neighbours in 2019 – 36 homes at €10 per household – also occasional contributions as homes changed hands.

Key expenses – purchase of batches of texts from Sendmode for text alerts – €351 – per batch of 5,000 texts

No external social or meeting costs during covid

Website costs – web hosting, wordpress for managing posts, domain renewal costs every 2 years

€149.98 remained in the account at the end of March 2023.

We proposed and it was approved to look for an additional €10 voluntary contribution per household.   We received contributions of €340 on the night which is appreciated. 

Neighbours can drop the contributions into their street coordinators in the coming weeks.

It was recognised that many people are using less cash for day to day expenses.   The current NW funds are maintained in a post office account with a manual book.    It was proposed and approved that the group would open a bank account which would have electronic banking facilities.

Review of NW activity

Since the last meeting, Beechpark Lawn was added to the NW group and they were formally welcomed to the group.   There are now 179 homes within the group.

New groups have also emerged in Beechpark Avenue and Phoenix Drive and there is active collaboration between all local NW groups.

We reviewed reported activities within the group over the last few years.

Break-ins

Typically opportunistic – early to late evening – 5pm to 9pm

Looking for jewellery / cash / small items

In and out in < 5 minutes

Park car in the area – walk quickly evaluating houses that look empty

Scope out area earlier in the day – door to door traders, collectors

Thefts from cars

Typically late at night – also opportunistic

Check for open cars / smash windows

Aggressive traders – door to door

Under reported but several issues with neighbours being pressurised / scammed

Provides an excuse for unknown individuals to knock on each door

Neighbours encouraged not to engage with these traders

Bogus collectors – clothing / charity

Neighbours encouraged to be wary of clothing collections as many are bogus

Banking / email scams / customs / Investment scams

Increase in each of these scams with the closure of banks and with Brexit for customs.

Additional notes:

Discussion re video doorbells – have been very useful in providing images when there has been suspicious activity. 

Introduction of WhatsApp to allow neighbours communicate on security alerts

Please do not repost images of people, full registration numbers on Whatsapp groups

Agreed to examine putting together a neighbourhood social event later this year

Confirm Area Coordinator, street coordinators, treasurer, secretary

Appointment of key officers in the group:

Area Coordinator: Lorcan Sheehan

Street Coordinators:

Liam Delaney, Ruth Hogan, John Murphy

Charlie O’Connor, John Nolan, Peter Blessing

Freda Gallagher, Dan O’Shea

Aidan O’Connell

Carmel Grogan

Nora Doyle, Seamus McCabe, Ellen Troy

Treasurer: Carmel Grogan

Secretary: Ellen Troy

Tom Kennington has stepped down as street coordinator in Hadleigh Park.   Aidan O’Connell has agreed to take this on.

Freda Gallagher stepped down as Secretary and Ellen Troy has agreed to take on that role.  Freda will remain as a street coordinator.

Thank you to all of our officers and street coordinators and we encourage others to consider whether they would be in a position to become involved.

Community Gardai

We received apologies from Stg Rory Carey.   He has offered to do a crime prevention talk later in the year in collaboration with local NW groups.

Any other business:

Social / neighbours evening – agreed to examine organising such an event

Locksmith assessment service – will look to organise in late summer

Phoenix park parking survey – encouraged neighbours to review the survey and provide their own inputs

Question raised about the pollinator friendly areas on Auburn Avenue.   Mixed opinions within the group but this is expected to be mown ay the end of May.

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2023 AGM – 18th May 2023

Posted on May 15, 2023 by pineshadleigh

After an interruption of 3 years due to the pandemic we are happy to be able to host an AGM again for the neighbourhood watch group.   

We will meet in St. Brigid’s GAA club – Thursday the 18th May at 7.30pm.

We would love to see you there in person if you can make it.   Agenda below.

  • Review of last AGM minutes
  • Area coordinator report on NW activity since our last AGM
  • Treasurers report
  • Proposal for €10 voluntary contribution to replenish NW funds
  • Appointment of Area coordinator, street coordinators, secretary and treasurer
  • We would welcome additional volunteers to get involved
  • Q&A with community policing team (subject to operational availability)
  • Any other business.
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Full Moon tonight! High Winds and Spooky

Posted on October 31, 2020 by pineshadleigh

Full moon tonight!   Storm force winds! The area is filled with ghosts and goblins that have been condemned to haunt a specific place for hundreds of years (beginning to know how they feel!).

Only came across the story of the ‘White Lady of Castleknock’ this week.     Extract below from the reynoldshistorycastleknockblog.wordpress.com/ 

A renowned ghost, the ‘White Lady of Castleknock’  is said to appear in the vicinity of the hill at the college.

This goes back to the sixteenth century and the kidnapping of Eileen, beautiful daughter of a Wicklow Chieftain called O’Byrne, by the notorious John Tyrell, brother of the sixth Baron of Castleknock. Anticipating violence at the hands of Tyrell, Eileen is said to have bled to death, having opened her veins with a breast pin.

The ghost of Eileen, a white-robed female figure is said to move around the castle walls at night.

If anyone is aware of additional local ghosts feel free to share in response to this email or on the WhatsApp social feeds.

While circumstances will mean that we will miss our trick or treaters tonight we would like to encourage people to share pictures of their Ghastly Ghouls on the WhatsApp group or by tagging @pineshadleighnw on twitter.  

Happy Halloween everyone!    Stay safe.

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Keyless car theft

Posted on October 9, 2020 by pineshadleigh

We have had two examples in the area in the last month (one in the Pines this week) where intruders have tried to steal cars using scanners to capture the signal from keyless car fobs.

This time last year, we had a similar attempt that was caught on video (shared with Gardaí) and I thought that it would be useful to share some visuals on how fast this can occur. I have put together screenshots that illustrate the process which will hopefully help explain how this occurs.

The attempt, while unsuccessful on this occasion did manage to open the car and it was all over in less than 2 minutes.

  • Intruder arrives on bicycle and walks in with backpack 3.30am
  • Places backpack (receiver) in front window to pick up signal from key fob (ignores security light)
  • Uses handheld scanner to open car – 8 seconds after arrival
  • Unplugs electric charger – can see scanning device in left hand
  • Gets into car to try to start (unsuccessful) – expect signal not strong enough (within 30 seconds)
  • Moves backpack to another window on house to try to get better signal
  • Tries to start car again – still fails – locks car with scanner
  • Plugs back in charger to car – can see scanner in hand
  • Leaves with backpack – total time 1min 47 seconds

If you do have a keyless fob for your car (many modern cars have them) you can prevent the signal from being broadcast by keeping the key in a metal box or a pouch – known as a Faraday box / pouch – and they are available for around €20 online. Sample picture below.

As the evenings and the nights get longer, the opportunities for burglars are greater. Not that we are going far but make sure that you light up the house if you are heading out and put on your alarm when you are in for the night.

Stay safe.

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Garda Crime Prevention Meeting 20th Jan

Posted on January 21, 2020 by pineshadleigh

This evening a group from the Neighbourhood Watch attended the Garda Crime Prevention meeting in Castleknock Community College.   It was hosted by Sergeant Rory Carey who heads the Community Policing team and was addressed by Superintendent Liam Carolan who is responsible for the Gardaí in K District – Blanchardstown, Cabra and Finglas and Sergeant Vincent Connolly who is the Crime Prevention Officer for the district.

Update on Crime Statistics:

  • Acknowledged that there was a spike in burglaries in Castleknock in December with 19 burglaries recorded in Castleknock and 4 in the Carpenterstown area from 1st December to 12th January.   Included 4 in one evening in College Wood.   One aggrevated burglary in that period of time.
  • Significant increase in Garda resources dedicated to burglary patrols in Castleknock since start of Jan.   Covered by overtime and not sustainable in long term but seen as necessary to address the current issues.   48 checkpoints and 164 proactive patrols since Jan 1st.
  • Levels of burglary reported in media and social media is exagerated – not withstanding the fact that there has been a spike.
  • No burglary in the area since Jan 12th and previous to that was one on the 8th Jan.    Not declaring victory yet but progress is being made and Gardai continuing to patrol the area.
  • Several detections and people charged in Castleknock Manor, Park View, Castleknock road.
  • Disrupted others with past records and moved them on from the area.

Cooperation from the public and neighbourhood watch groups is very welcome but need to be careful with the information shared on social media.

  • Not all of it is accurate
  • Do not share photos of people or full reg plates – may be innocent and could jeopardise court case.  Also one case in South East where it triggered a lawsuit for defamation.
  • Sometimes can spread fear rather than improve security
  • Call the Gardai – 999 – if you see something unusual

Blanchardstown is the busiest Garda station in the country and the K District serves 175,000 people.   They have 365 Gardaí based in the station across multiple units – approx 15 in the community policing unit plus another 20 in a community action team (K-CATs) that can be deployed in high priority areas.

Could certainly use additional resources and would like to provide additional support to community policing if the resources allowed.   Careful not to get into a political discussion during the meeting but additional resourcing would allow a higher level of community policing support on an ongoing basis.

Good presentation from Sgt Connolly of the crime prevention group.   We have covered many of these points before but it was good to get the reminder.

  • Primary access points – Front door, Back door, open windows
  • Most likely between 5pm and 10pm
  • Opportunistic burglars are most common – looking for Jewelery and Cash and want to be in and out within 3 minutes
  • Best exercise – go outside your home and pretend that you are locked out.   See all the potential entry areas to your home.
  • Consider high quality locks on doors and windows.   Use locksmiths that are PSA registered. If you have an alarm – use it.   Keep perimiter alarm on at night.
  • Avoid leaving climing aids – bins etc next to windows.   Lock your shed – access to tools. Side gate – best if flush ith the front of the house – curved top.
  • Light up – particularly on Winter evenings
  • CCTV – useful if there is good quality and many options now available but very often you will only get a silouette.   Smart switches other products that can remotely control lights.
  • Cut back trees and shrubs to remove cover for would-be burglars.
  • Do not engage with strangers – selling goods and services, collecting
  • If you do hear an intruder – stay safe – call 999 – do not engage
  • Property marking – photo, register and mark goods – including jewellery.

The Q&A was broadly supportive of the Gardai.   Recognised that the current resource level is unsustainable in the longer term but hope that the peak of activity will pass.    Given the timing we had many of our local representatives at the meeting.   No harm in reminding them that more resources for the Gardai are needed to increase the level of resources into the future.

I would like to thank the Gardai for this open and informative event.    It was good to have the facts delivered in a non political manner and context.   We have a positive relationship with the community policing team through Garda Alex McDermott and Sgt Rory Carey, and we can build on that for the future.

If you do see something unusual the first point of contact should be the Gardaí on 999.

If others have additional observations from the meeting, let me know and we will share them.

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Security Updates

Posted on October 26, 2019 by pineshadleigh

Over the last couple of months we have seen a slight increase in attempted burglaries in the area and while we are still in a very safe area, it is worth reminding ourselves of some actions that we can take to secure our properties.
Locked house

Front and rear garden:

  • If access points to your home are visible from the road and to your neighbours, you give less cover to potential intruders as they try to enter.   Consider whether cutting back some trees / planting would reduce potential cover without losing your privacy in your home.
  • Sensor lights front and back – reduces cover of darkness for potential intruders.
  • Keep your vehicles locked and do not leave coats / bags visible in them
  • Side gates – tall enough to make access difficult – locked and avoid leaving bins or other potential steps close to the gates.
  • Sheds – contain valuables and several tools that can be used to facilitate a burglary – keep sheds locked with a sturdy padlock or similar. There has also been a noted increase in thefts of tools from sheds over the last 12 months in the greater Dublin area.
  • Bikes – keep locked and secured.    Take note of serial numbers and take photos of bikes in case of loss.
Doors and Windows:
  • Secure locks and chubb type locks on doors.    Many cylinder locks are prone to what is known as lock snapping which allows an intruder use a vice grip or similar implement to attach to the lock and snap the cylinder within seconds.   There are anti-snap cylinders available which are very reasonable to install and which reduce this risk significantly.   Some detail on lock snapping is available on this UK locksmiths website
  • Patio doors can be particularly vulnerable to being forced open.    There are a number of innovative lock products (Patlock is one) that addresses this vulnerability.
  • Windows – an open window is very attractive for your opportunistic burglar.   Even upstairs windows – particularly if over a balcony or a low roof – present an opportunity.    Window locks are also available and alarm sensors on windows will also detect any attempts to break a window.
Alarms:
  • It may be stating the obvious but Alarms are at their most effective when they are switched on.  The best advise is to keep your alarm on when you are in the home and especially at night.   Do some research on your alarm ‘Zones’ as this will give you an indication in the case of an alarm activation.
  • Monitored alarms will send alerts to nominated keyholders in the case of activation.   Neighbours are also asked to pay attention to alarm activations and to alert authorities if they see something suspicious.
  • If alarms are faulty and frequently activate it becomes less likely that people will pay attention to the activation   it is in your interest to keep the alarm serviced and working well.
CCTV
  • There are many CCTV options available and most reputable alarm companies will provide advice on what would be most suitable for your needs.
  • With the advances in technology there is an increasing range of options available including video doorbell CCTV cameras from companies such as Ring and Nest that link to the cloud via your broadband connection.
  • In all cases with CCTV it is important to respect the privacy of neighbours in positioning cameras and coverage.
Keys:
  • Do not store keys close to your front door as ‘fishing’ for keys through letterboxes is a common way to gain access.
  • As noted in previous updates – keep keyless fobs for modern cars in a tin box to prevent signals being captured and boosted.
Visitors / Contractors:
  • Do not engage with unknown tradespeople, clothes collectors or charity collectors that call to your door.   Engaging with them:
    • Gives them access to your home directly or through the use of distraction burglaries.
    • Gives them license to be in our area and gives them visibility into which homes are empty.
    • Risks being caught up with uninsured or unprofessional trades.
  • We have found several times over the last 48 months that within a week of door to door trades people entering our area, we have had attempted thefts from cars and from houses.
Trusted trades:
  • We have compiled a list of trusted trades that have been recommended by our neighbours for our neighbours.    This list is available here.
  • As you are considering your security requirements, give some thought to engaging with these trades to advise you on what is best for your needs.   Many will offer a free – no obligations consultation.
  • Locksmiths:
  • Alarms: / CCTV:
In considering your security requirements we would recommend that you take a balanced view.   A little knowledge of what is happening in the wider community can increase awareness but it is not intended to alarm.   We still live in a safe area and we are lucky to have a very active neighbourhood and community spirit..

With cooperation from our neighbours, we can make the area less attractive for criminals and the most effective way to do that is to keep an eye out for each other and to report any items that are suspicious to the Gardaí and our neighbourhood watch.

If you do see something suspicious, the first point of contact should be the Gardaí on 999 or 01 6667000.

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Keyless car protection

Posted on October 10, 2019 by pineshadleigh

We have mentioned before reports of thieves with devices for accessing some of the newer keyless car models.

This morning we had an attempted car theft in the Pines which was caught on CCTV which demonstrated just how fast and simple the process is for those with the right equipment.

  • Would-be thief arrives on a bicycle with a small backpack on his back.
  • Walks into drive way and places the backpack against the front window of the house
  • 5 seconds later opens the car with a small electronic device that is about the size of a mobile phone.
  • Unplugs the car (electric)
  • Gets into the car and tries to start it but in this case the signal was most likely not strong enough to start the car.
  • Gets out of the car and moves the backpack to another window and then tries to start the car again.  Fails again.
  • Gets out of the car.   Locks it, plugs it back in and leaves again on his bicycle.

If the CCTV (doorbell cam) had not triggered an alert, there would have been no evidence that anything happened.Faraday box 400

The keys in this case were inside in the rear of the house and most likely that is the positioning within the house that prevented the car from starting but that was more luck than necessarily design.

For those of you with keyless cars the advice is to keep the keys in a box or pouch when not in use that blocks the signal.  These boxes are available online (faraday box or pouch) or in shops like Halfords for around €20.   A tin box may also achieve the same result.

Please be aware that we have someone in the area that is using this equipment and take appropriate precautions.

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Neighbours’ Night 2019 – Photo Gallery

Posted on September 10, 2019 by pineshadleigh

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Thanks to Nora Doyle for the wonderful photos from the night.

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Neighbours’ Night – Thank you

Posted on September 8, 2019 by pineshadleigh

Thanks to all that joined us in Castleknock Tennis Club on Friday night for some dinner, music and chat.    The venue was beautiful and we had 95 neighbours and friends join for dinner and it was a very successful night.   Earlier in the day 33 neighbours ventured out on to the fairways of Westmanstown Golf Club.  Thanks also to those not attending that volunteered to keep a special eye out while the others partied.

There are many people that contribute to the success of such a night and in naming some, i run the risk of missing out on others.   But here goes.

Special thanks to the street coordinators and the social committee that took charge of the event and that were there to help things run smoothly on the day.

Thanks to the team at Westmanstown Golf Club, to its 2019 Club Captain Cathal O’Reilly and members for making us feel so welcome at the club.    The course was in wonderful condition and the weather behaved itself on the day.    Thanks to Michael Matson who managed to get everyone out on time, to John Murphy who did the cards for the event and to Seamus McCabe for his help with Michael and John in preparing the teams and timesheets.

Congratulations to the winning teams in the golf scramble on Friday and to all of those that took part in the event.

1.      First place was Dan O’Shea, Freda Gallagher, Liam Delaney and Seamus Cowman.

2.      Second was John Murphy, Ita Murphy, Tom O’Meara and John Forde and

3.      Third was Tom Kennington, Anne Flinter, Michael Drennan and Pat Sheridan.

The tennis club proved to be a great venue for our group and again we were made very welcome and well looked after by the staff and the caterers.   The new facilities are wonderful and the fact that it is walking distance from home was a bonus.

Thanks to Liam Delaney for guiding us through the night as MC, to John Murphy who led the arrangements with the Tennis club, to Freda Gallagher for the kind words and presentation (much appreciated) and to Nora Doyle who had us all looking our best and striking poses for photos on the night.  We hope to post a link to some of those photos on the website in the coming days.

Special thanks to Tom Carpenter, Dave O’Meara, Frances and John Fallon and the other members of the band that entertained us and really engaged the group on the night.    For those that want to hear more or that may have missed them on the night, they are playing a special fundraising gig in Myos this Thursday night in aid of a deaf school run by an Irish priest in Ambo, Ethiopia. It is a very worthwhile cause and it promises to be an excellent night.

We had some wonderful prizes for the golf and spot prizes donated by businesses and individuals for the event.   Not sure that I have captured all (and apologies for any one that I missed) but thank you to:

  • Irish Distillers
  • Dominos Pizza
  • Roselawn Inn
  • Lloyds Pharmacy
  • PerformanSC Supply Chain
  • Wongs’ Restaurant
  • The Anglers Rest
  • Ruth and Alan Hogan
  • Don O’Mahony
  • Padraig Brennan

We got to welcome our new friends from Beechpark Lawn to the group, some new neighbours that have moved into the area, some old friends that have returned and some guests that joined us for the evening.    Thank you all for taking a Friday night out to spend it with us.    There is a great sense of community in the area that has contributed to support we have always received in the Neighbourhood Watch and that is much appreciated.

As much as we enjoyed the evening, we would love to get ideas and feedback on how we can improve for future years.  If you have any feedback, or suggestions for improvement or if you would like to get more involved yourself, please drop me a note and we would love to hear from you.

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CCTV and Data Protection

Posted on July 24, 2019 by pineshadleigh

Information from the office of the Data Protection Commission

More and more of us are installing cameras in our homes – whether it’s a camera to keep an eye on your pet when you’re not there, or a camera on your doorbell so you can use your phone to check who is at the door.

A large volume of the queries we get in to the Data Protection Commission relate to CCTV and data protection, so here we answer some of the most common questions we get about CCTV in the home.

I have cameras inside my house that I can check in on using my smartphone – do I need signs to let visitors to my home know that I have cameras?

The scope of data protection legislation is set out in Article 2 of the GDPR, which states that the GDPR does not apply to the processing of personal data by a natural person in the course of a purely personal or household activity.

This provision is commonly referred to as the household, or domestic, exemption.

What this means is if an internal security camera system is used solely in the course of the homeowner’s personal or household activity, then they will not be subject to the same obligations as a data controller would be under data protection law – so you don’t need to put up signs to make visitors aware, or provide access to the footage from the cameras.

However an important thing to note is that you may become a data controller for the purposes of data protection law depending on what you do with the recorded footage. What this means is if you, for example, publish the footage online or share it on social media then you may become subject to the obligations of a data controller. Read the DPC’s Guidance on the use of CCTV for data controllers.

But in general, the use of such systems does not fall within the scope of data protection.

I have a video doorbell that I can monitor on my smartphone – does that make me a data controller?

Similar to the cameras inside the home, a smart doorbell is likely to fall within the domestic exemption as its use will be connected purely with the homeowner’s personal or household activity.

Where this may differ from the previous scenario is if the camera on the doorbell is pointed towards a publicly accessible area and is capable of recording individuals in that area.

The Court of Justice of the European Union has established in the case of ‘Ryneš’ that the use of a domestic CCTV system that covers a public space falls within the scope of data protection law.

To avoid this, when installing a smart doorbell care should be taken to avoid taking in a publicly accessible area. If this can’t be avoided, a user should consult our guidance on CCTV systems to understand their transparency obligations.

Similarly, the definition of ‘personal data’ only covers information (in this case a video recording) where people are identified or identifiable.

What this means is any video footage which captures images of people where they can’t actually be identified wouldn’t be personal data at all. For example, the doorbell would probably capture a pretty clear picture of the person at the door, but might be designed or positioned so that any images of people on a public street are too obscured or low-quality to actually identify them.

I have CCTV cameras outside my house pointing to my driveway and garden – am I still exempt from data protection law?

This is similar to the situation for the smart doorbell. As long as your cameras are only capturing your garden or driveway and do not capture a public space, then the household exemption applies. However if the direction or angle the cameras are pointing in captures a public space – for example the footpath, a roadway or back alley – then it will likely fall within the scope of data protection law and you will be a data controller if it captures identifiable images of people on the public space. Care should also be taken to avoid capturing your neighbours’ properties (their house, garden etc…) as this would intrude upon their privacy.

Again, if this can’t be avoided, you should consult our CCTV systems guidance.

Read – Guidance on the use of CCTV systems for individuals

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