Waterford Gardaí are urging people to secure their homes as the winter phase of Operation Thor gets underway.

The annual campaign aims to prevent burglars from taking advantage of shorter daylight hours during the winter months.

Garda figures from the last three winter phases show almost four in five residential burglaries happened between 4pm and 8am.

Crime Prevention Officer for Waterford, Sergeant Deirdre O’Neill, said homes left in darkness can quickly stand out as being unoccupied.

She is encouraging people to leave a light on or use a timer switch from around 5pm to give the impression that somebody is at home.

Gardaí also say almost one in four residential burglaries during the last three winter phases involved entry through an unsecured door.

Sergeant O’Neill is advising people to lock doors, windows, sheds and outhouses, keep entrance gates closed and avoid keeping large amounts of cash at home.

She also recommends using alarms, video doorbells and outdoor lighting as additional deterrents.

Operation Thor runs from October 1st to March 31st.

Since the operation was first introduced in 2015, recorded burglary has fallen by more than 72% nationally.