Mon-Fri: 9:30 am – 5:30 pm

Just how secure are your valuables at home? With the unfortunate rise in crimes like break-ins and burglaries, as well as natural disasters like floods, your home may not be as safe as you think it is for all of your most valuable possessions.

There has been a significant increase in the demand for safe deposit boxes for a number of reasons, all down to the unmatchable security and protection that they can provide. We look at why Sentinel Vaults is the best option for your valuables and most prized possessions. (more…)

Sentinel Vaults have been featured in The Irish Examiner

Sentinel Vaults Irish Examiner

Please see below for the full article, or
click here to view on The Irish Examiner website →.

Country’s first private security vault unveiled

Friday, October 11, 2013
By Seán McCárthaigh

It is the kind of joint that could be cased by Love/Hate crime boss Nidge and his gang or used as location for a bank heist movie.
However, the promoters of Ireland’s first private security vault hope it will have a much more sedate existence, in keeping with the discreet and secure reputation traditionally associated with the banking industry.

The new, hi-tech storage facility, Sentinel Vaults, opens today on Dublin’s Waterloo Rd.

The business aims to attract not only high net worth individuals with valuable items requiring safekeeping, but also companies looking for a secure location to store important documents.

Managing director, Billy Finn, claimed his company was responding to a growing demand for such a facility as the retail banks had largely stopped providing such a service to new customers.

He said such facilities are common across Europe, with 25 centres located in London alone.

Mr Finn, a former senior banker with AIB, predicted the service would prove popular with solicitors’ firms anxious to safeguard deeds, wills, and other important documents from risks such as theft, flood, or fire.

Other potential customers include apartment dwellers and foreign nationals working on short- term contracts who may not have secure facilities in their homes.

The storage of the 2,500 safety deposit boxes of varying sizes is in a former bank vault that has been equipped with the latest security technology.

Sentinel clients will need to go through six security measures, including a biometric machine which checks their fingerprints before they gain access to the vault. The building is also monitored on CCTV by off-site security personnel who have the ability to lockdown the vault in the event of a serious incident.

Mr Finn said there is only one entrance into the vaults, which are encased by 1m thick walls.

The standard contract is for 12 months with charges ranging from €299 per year for the smallest security box up to €1,149 for the largest holder. Shorter-term contract for three and six months are also available.

To guard against being used by criminals, clients are obliged, under the firm’s terms and conditions, to prove that they are not involved in prohibited activities.

While some potential customers might hesitate at being seen to use such a facility out of fear of being targeted by criminals, Mr Finn countered that, in many cases, the vault will be used by those whose contents are “worthless to others”.
© Irish Examiner Ltd. All rights reserved

A former solicitor who stole almost €3 million in client funds to gamble on stock markets and investment properties will be sentenced later this month.

Ruairi O Ceallaigh, 42, from Collegeland, Summerhill, was remanded in custody after he admitted seven offences under the Theft and Fraud Act.

One of the thefts included €1.5 million from funds left in a will to the Archdiocese of Dublin.

The Circuit Criminal Court heard he later met the archbishop to personally apologise.

He admitted stealing €2.8 million over a four-year period up to 2010 from seven client accounts at his family law firm, Sean O Ceallaigh & Company, based in Phibsborough, Dublin.

Most of the money had been inherited by clients and was being held in accounts at the law firm.

O Ceallaigh used the money to gamble on the stock market using contracts for difference and to buy investment properties and repay mortgages.

The crimes were uncovered during a routine Law Society examination of the firm’s accounts in 2010 which revealed two missing files.

Gardaí said the Law Society accountant persisted in her inquiries over the missing files like “a dog with a bone” and Mr O Ceallaigh eventually confessed later that year.

The court heard he had incurred losses through investing and panicked to try to recover mounting losses using clients’ money.

He told gardaí the thefts were always intended to be a temporary measure but he lost his way and ran deeper and deeper into problems by taking more money.

The court heard the news of his crimes came as “a shattering blow” to his family who had run a well-respected law firm since 1958.

O Ceallaigh had co operated fully with the garda investigation and had never tried to conceal anything, the court heard.

He said the intention was always to pay back the money. He was under huge pressure to pay back bank loans and was under the false belief that he could make back the money on the stock market using client funds, the court was told.

The judge remarked that CFDs were the ultimate in gambling.

His barrister Padraig Dwyer said there was no lavish spending on his lifestyle.

He said due to his failures everything sprialled out of control at a time when the country was out of control.

He said he was a man driven by Christian values who felt great shame for his family and was filled with remorse.

He wanted to apologise to his clients, his family, his congregation and the community of Ireland and his colleagues. He said he had brought huge disgrace upon his head.

All the individuals had been repaid by the Law Society compensation fund, he added. The archdiocese was still at a loss of €750,000.

Over 20 references were handed in to the court, including some from national and international charities where he has volunteered for many years.

Mr Dwyer said his client was a member of a Christian congregation for many years and had worked extensively from an early age with the underprivileged.

The maximum sentence for each of the offences is ten years in jail.

The case was adjourned to 18 July.

(Credit: RTE.ie, http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/0702/628053-solicitor-sentence-hearing/)

Sentinel Vaults is Ireland’s premier safe deposit box facility and gives Irish brokers the opportunity to incorporate the additional benefit of secure storage when offering their clients financial advice.

The facility is a former bank vault that has been upgraded to surpass bank standards, and is located on the prestigious Waterloo Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Sentinel Vaults currently offer two main services; safe deposit boxes and document safekeeping.

With over 27,000 homes burgled last year, and leading Irish banks no longer offering a safe deposit box service, there is an increasing demand for the services provided by Sentinel Vaults. Due to this demand, Sentinel Vaults have recently launched phase two of the facility having reached its client quota for the initial phase, with a third phase on the horizon.

While Sentinel Vaults offer a much sought after service for members of the community, they have also noted significant demand for safe deposit boxes and document safekeeping in the business community. This gives Irish brokers the opportunity to increase their client base and explore new channels and potential business partnerships.

Sentinel Vaults offer their clients a safe and secure place to store their valuables and important documents. They offer peace of mind by providing state-of-the-art, modern security to keep savings, gold, jewellery, heirlooms, wills, deeds and other sensitive documents safe and secure.

Privacy and discretion is guaranteed; no one else will have access to your box, or know what it contains. Clients are identified by fingerprint, facial image and a unique pin code to ensure that only the authorised box holder is granted access.

Sentinel Vaults is Ireland’s only certified member of the Safety Deposit Association and the country’s first and only independent safe deposit box facility inside and original bank vault.

An Garda Síochána have recommended the use of such facilities and as a result safe deposit boxes and document safekeeping have recently been mentioned as crime prevention solutions on RTÉ’s CrimeCall. Sentinel Vaults are working with the National Crime Prevention Unit and many of the Residents Associations throughout the country.

Why Choose Sentinel Vaults?

  • Location – The underground facility is centrally located in a former bank vault, in the heart of Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Sentinel Vaults is discreetly located with many embassies and financial institutions in close proximity, which offers clients further peace of mind.
  • Convenience – Sentinel Vaults is open 7 days a week, and offers its clients free, unlimited access to their safe deposit box. Clients can access their valuables and documents at any time during opening hours, and there is no additional charge.
  • Accreditation – Clients prefer a safe deposit box facility that is certified, registered and accredited. By aligning themselves with accredited bodies, Sentinel Vaults are setting the standards for the safe deposit box industry in Ireland. They are certified by the Safety Deposit Association and registered with the Financial Conduct Authority and the Information Commissioner’s Office.
  • Secure – Sentinel Vaults is manned on-site by highly trained staff, and monitored 24 hours a day off-site by Chubb Security ensuring constant, continual protection. The facility’s 6 Level Security System guarantees a secure, risk-free, modern safe deposit box facility – the next generation of security.
  • Trusted – At Sentinel Vaults the facility managers are experienced and mature individuals who will discreetly look after their clients with the utmost respect for their privacy.
  • Private – As a valued Sentinel Vaults client only you can access your safe deposit box through biometric fingerprint entry and a unique pin code, and only you know the contents of your safe deposit box. Private viewing rooms are available to ensure confidentiality.

Clients of Irish brokers can choose from a variety of box sizes to suit their needs. Prices start from just €199 for a small box; ideal for storing jewellery, digital data, savings and collectables such as stamps and coins. A total of 12 sizes are available for clients who may wish to securely store bulkier items such as artwork, antiques, precious metals and large files.

Irish brokers can also offer their clients a document safekeeping service. Clients can secure passports, house deeds, wills and other important documents at Sentinel Vaults with unlimited and immediate availability on request.

These services benefit both the broker and their clients. Brokers can introduce new services to their financial advice, while clients can have peace of mind knowing their valuables and important documents are safe and secure.

Insurance can be arranged against all risks of physical loss or damage. Each box can be insured for up to €100,000 in respect of valuables and cash. Valuables may also be covered outside the facility of the safety deposit box within Ireland and UK, up to a maximum of 20 days per year.  In addition, kidnap and ransom may be included in the policy, i.e. if a person is kidnapped or is threatened and are coerced into handing over the contents of their safety deposit box, the policy will cover the value of the contents and also any ransom demand, up to €100,000.

Previously, people have been forced to use alternative unsecure methods to store their valuables, e.g. a hole in the ground, home safe, in the loft or other non-certified custodial services. It is imperative that customers realise the importance of using an accredited, certified and registered safe deposit box facility. Sentinel Vaults are setting the standards for the safe deposit box industry in Ireland. Sentinel Vaults, Ireland’s only certified member of the Safety Deposit Association.