Thy Neighbour's Goods

Car thefts and break-ins occur in cycles, because those who do it eventually move out of the area, and/or get locked up, or because they die of the drugs they're on and associated diseases that go with them. Eventually a new crop grow to the age where they want to get into this mischief and the cycle starts all over again. This holds true in our area of Tallaght as anywhere else.

A few years back, the fashion was to break into cars and steal the contents. A neighbour who had put his golf clubs into the boot was missing them the next day. Another, who worked in a local bar, was coming home in the early hours and disturbed two youths in the process of tampering with a car door. They fled over the back garden walls.

Our own car was damaged when someone tried to pry open the door. They bent the top of the door out and down before they were disturbed. The Gardaí who came to the scene later straightened the door out for us, a kindness we appreciated as it certainly wasn't within their official duties.

Against this background, I had no sympathy when I heard a miscreant being "encouraged" by a large Garda to disclose who else had been with him when they caught him in a stolen car in the field opposite our house at three in the morning.

At 4.00am in the middle of all this period of commotion, Brig leaped out of the bed and ran over to the window when she heard the noise of running feet outside.

There was a youth making right up the driveway, as bold as you like.

"Oi! You!" She shrieked through the open window. "F**k off!"

A plaintive voice floated up:

"Do you not want your milk?"