The findings referred to by the Deputy were published following the Central Statistics Office Quarterly National Household Surveys carried out in the fourth quarters of 1998 and 2003. These surveys include crime and victimisation modules related to crime experienced in the previous 12 months.
It is the case in all countries that police statistics do not, and cannot, record all the crimes recorded in any one year. In Ireland, as in other jurisdictions data compiled for police forces are compiled mainly for operational purposes and have to be seen in that light in interpreting the general level of crime in society.
One source of valuable information to complement police statistics is a crime survey, such as the CSO crime and victimisation modules. These are designed to measure the extent to which a representative sample of the population has been victimised. The aim is to build up a picture of how much crime there is in the community, including those crimes that may not be recorded in the Garda Commissioner's annual report. It is generally accepted that Garda statistics do not record all the crimes committed in any one year, not least because it is not possible that the gardaí would be made aware of them all. The quarterly household report from the CSO reports that, in some instances, victims do not report crimes because there has been no financial loss or because they believe the crime not to be serious enough to warrant reporting it to the authorities.
The Government has decided that a regular national crime victimisation survey, carried out biennially, would be a valuable complement to the Garda Commissioner's report and would provide a more comprehensive perspective on crime victimisation. When undertaken on a regular basis it would provide useful information on emerging trends in crime. The report of the Expert Group on Crime Statistics, which I recently published, recommended the establishment of a central crime statistics unit, inter alia, to: examine the collation of information relating to crimes reported to and recorded by the Garda; examine the collation of information relating to other crimes where the Garda Síochána is not the prosecuting authority; identify the needs of the key stakeholders within the criminal justice system and the wider research community; and to make recommendations on the necessary structures and resources to be provided to allow statistics compiled within the criminal justice system to be analysed so that emerging trends can be identified. I have accepted the recommendation to establish this unit and work is under way on establishing it in the Central Statistics Office. This unit will design and carry out the National Crime Victimisation Survey.
I am concerned that the CSO survey indicates an increase in the number of persons who were victims of personal crime. However, figures available from the Garda Commissioner in his annual report for 2003, and which was published late last week, indicate that during 2003 a decrease of 3% was recorded in headline crime and a decrease of 14% was recorded in non-headline crime. This represents a total of 51,132 fewer crimes for 2003 when compared with 2002. This downward trend in crime levels was continued through the first nine months of this year. The report from the CSO notes that the vast majority of persons, over 93% in fact, felt safe alone in their homes after dark.
A recent survey commissioned by the Garda Síochána, and carried out by an independent company with considerable experience in the area of criminal justice research, indicated that 85% of respondents were either very satisfied or satisfied with the overall Garda service. We are fortunate to have a force comprising of men and women who continue to be dedicated to providing an efficient and effective policing service to the citizens of the State. In this respect the ongoing, targeted, crime prevention operations of the Garda, such as Operation Encounter which tackles the issue of public order, and Operation Delivery which seeks to address attacks on cash delivery services, help reduce crime and its effects. Garda management will, I am sure, remain vigilant to changes in criminality and will take action to counter specific trends and threats as issues become evident.
