Unless your apartment complex has a Fort Knox-inspired security system - with CCTV cameras, barrier systems and registration monitoring - or is one of the few in the city to have a 24-hour security guard at its entrance, the chances are it has been prey to at least the occasional bout of car break-ins.

Generally more of the petty smash-and-grab variety than the skillfully masterminded heist, these car break-ins usually occur at night but can also happen in broad daylight under the noses of other residents. Apartment schemes tend to be more anonymous than established housing estates, says David Lewis of Sherry FitzGerald, who is himself an apartment dweller. "If a resident looks out the window and sees someone hovering at a car, they may not necessarily be suspicious."

Older blocks with a high proportion of long-established owner-occupiers tend to have a better neighbourhood watch system. Those with vigilant caretakers on-site have an extra layer of protection.

Often the level of security will depend on the size of development and the size of the management fee. While few have the luxury of around-the-clock security like the exclusive Hazeldene on Anglesea Road in Ballsbridge, a good number, particularly in the city centre, have CCTV cameras. "Some city-centre blocks attached to office schemes have the benefit of security guards posted there during working hours to make sure nobody comes in and takes another person's space," says Johnny Lappin of Douglas Newman Good.

However, developments dependent on the security gate alone may find they are insufficient to stop the determined thief. Tail-gating, when an intruder slips through the gate after a resident, is one common mode of unauthorised entry. Once in, they will generally scan parked cars for valuables and on a good day might spot a security-gate zapper left on a car seat. These incidents tend to be sporadic, according to Ben Gough of Wyse Property Management.

"Often when it is sparked in an area, it can go on for two or three weeks but when the Garda get involved it gets hot for the thieves and they move on somewhere else." Few areas are immune to this type of opportunistic crime. Suburban blocks can be just as prone as those in the inner city, particularly if the intruder reckons there may be rich pickings.

Ultimately, it is up to the individual to ensure their car is not broken into, says Mr Lappin. "It seems obvious, but it comes down to the fact that people shouldn't leave valuables on seats. While there is a better level of awareness about this, people can still be careless.

"They will leave themselves open to theft if they don't remove stereos and CDs from their car, or at least hide them from view, or if they leave swipe cards and keys for security systems on seats." Where cars are stolen, it tends to be from surface carparks with no security system in place which, according to Brendan McDonnell of RF Property Management, "is not that much different to taking a car left on the side of the street".

But where there is a barrier or gate system in operation, car theft is a rare occurrence. "It really only happens when a particular model of car is being targeted for a specific purpose.

Generally thieves won't go to the bother of breaking into a complex to take a car. It is far easier to take one off the street. If you are intent on stealing a car you are not going to go to a car-park with a gate across it," says McDonnell.

Underground car-parks are also a deterrent, he believes. "It means the cars are out of sight and invariably they will have gates protecting them. It eliminates the likelihood of them being targeted by criminals."

However, Mr Lappin believes the very fact that underground car-parks are hidden from view could make them more attractive to intruders. "There might be more chance of them being seen by residents if they were hanging around a surface car-park," he says.

There are a surprising number of older blocks without security gates, according to David Lewis. "There might be an older crowd living there who are reluctant to put money into the development. However most of the more modern schemes have gates."

Remote-control gates can cost anything from £4,000-£8,000 (#5,078-#10,157). Often security systems entail some level of inconvenience for the resident, as John McGowan, who lives in a development in Harold's Cross, Dublin 6, discovered.

"We selected gates that are very strong and heavy, and some residents do not like having to manually open and close gates, especially at night. There is a body of opinion that we should have electronic gates, but we fear that unsuitable gates could be rammed again."

Two separate ramming incidents several years ago involved raiders driving through locked security gates. "Following a security review with consultants we installed very strong security gates and ramps. We decided against electronic gates due to the fact that they are easy to tamper with and vandalise, and can be unreliable and difficult to maintain." The layout of the complex has made it "virtually impossible" to restrict access. "Even a 20-foot-high fence will not deter intruders from the car-park, but it would make the complex feel like a high security prison," he says. "On occasions five or six cars have been broken into in a night, and then nothing happens for months. We constantly warn residents not to leave anything in vehicles, and to install alarms, but there is not much else we can do."

Some developments prefer the sliding gate over the hydraulic because it constitutes just one moveable part and hence is more difficult to ram. And some have a dual-gate system whereby the second gate will not open until the first has closed firmly behind the resident.

Often a development will post notices asking residents to remain at the gate until it closes after them. However, according to Maria Mason of Petra Management, if the intruder is following directly behind a resident in a car, the gate will remain open.

"For safety reasons, these gates are designed so they won't close on another car. They have to stay open for a certain time so they won't just lash closed once the car passes. But most gates operate on a one-way system, so if a resident is leaving the development they can wait for the gate to shut, knowing that if the person trying to enter the development is legitimate they will have a zapper."

Some gates have a photocell system whereby the gates will remain open once a car is in line with the beam. For those thieves who don't want the bother of tail-gating, one option is to keep the gate open by placing tape over the photocell. Cars are not their only targets. Residents can unwittingly admit intruders into their apartment block because they "are trying to be friendly", says Mason. "They might hold the door open for someone coming in behind them if they think they look OK. But often thieves do look OK."

emorgan@irish-times.ie