Niall Collins
Ceist:7. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Taoiseach the reason the Central Statistics Office's data on recorded crime for quarter 3 of 2014 have not yet been published; and when they will be published. [13368/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 19 May 2015
Ceisteanna (7)
Freagraí ó Béal (4 píosaí cainte)
The publication of recorded crime statistics has been temporarily suspended by the Central Statistics Office, CSO. This decision was made on foot of the Garda Inspectorate report on crime investigation published on 11 November 2014. That report raised a number of issues regarding the accuracy of recorded crime administrative data in Ireland.
The CSO understands that while these issues relate to the work of the Garda Síochána, they may have an impact on the level and classification of CSO recorded crime statistics. As such, the office could not continue to publish official statistics without a detailed examination of the issues raised by the inspectorate. The CSO is therefore currently undertaking a comprehensive review of the Garda Inspectorate report to assess the extent to which its findings are reflected in the data made available to the CSO for the compilation of recorded crime statistics. This review is nearing completion
The CSO will resume publication of quarterly recorded crime reports in late June 2015. Simultaneously, the office will publish its review of the quality of Garda recorded crime administrative data, identifying to the best extent possible the statistical impacts as regards coverage and classification from the issues highlighted in the Garda Inspectorate report.
It is absolutely essential that the public has confidence in the statistics emanating from the Central Statistics Office. There are no statistics more important than those coming from An Garda Síochána. The force enjoys huge public support and there is a recognition that gardaí are currently under inordinate pressure in terms of resources and that morale is probably at an all-time low. Nevertheless, it is crucial, as I said, that the statistics provided by the Garda in respect of crimes reported, solved and remaining unsolved should stand the test of public scrutiny.
I welcome the Minister of State's indication that we will see a return to normal by the end of June in terms of the provision of crime statistics by the CSO. Will he clarify the type of analysis that is going on and the types of problem that have given rise to this deferral until late June?
It has been a cause of major concern for several years that crimes were recorded in different ways in different parts of the country and even within the city of Dublin itself. As a member of Dublin City Council's joint policing committee, I recall being presented with reports in which there was clearly a difference in how crime statistics were compiled for different districts, even where districts were only two or three miles apart. It was only when one amalgamated the figures for two or three subcategories of crime that one would arrive at the true figure for a particular crime.
It is vital, at the very least, that everybody involved in gathering statistics in regard to crime use the same terminology. In particular, there should be a clearly understood rationale for referring to a crime under a different title and an explanation as to why some crimes are recorded under a different category. In the case of theft, for instance, a number of categories might be used, including theft from a vehicle, theft from a house, larceny, theft from a shop, and so on. During my time on the joint policing committee, we sometimes had to ask the superintendent presenting the report to give an explanation of the differences between crimes and the reason for their categorisation in the statistics. In addition, we often queried instances in which crimes were recorded as supposedly being solved. The problem was that "solved" did not necessarily mean there was a conviction at the end of it. It might mean, for example, that the gardaí involved in the investigation had managed to identify a suspect. There was not necessarily a delivery for the victim of the crime.
There probably is a need to have different subcategories for particular crimes, but the overall theft figure, for example, should also be provided. This is not just important for those of us who look at these statistics and ask about them in this Chamber. It is important because it influences how the Garda authorities allocate scarce resources. They must be able to respond quickly where they see a crime surge happening in a three-month or six-month period, for instance, by ensuring that adequate manpower and resources, including vehicles, investment in buildings and so on, are directed towards areas of highest crime. That can only be done effectively if the statistics stand up, and, as I understand it, it was because there were doubts in this regard that the CSO suspended the provision of the information. It is to be hoped that when the data are finally released, we can be confident that they stand up. They should, in addition, be presented under the same categories as those used for the Garda national crime figures.
I join the Deputies in welcoming the resumed publication of the CSO quarterly recorded crime statistics in late June. I accept that the suspension of the provision of this information has been a concern for Members, including Deputies opposite, several of whom have raised it on more than one occasion in the House in recent months.
At the beginning of 2012, the Garda Inspectorate conducted a major review of how crime is investigated in Ireland. This led to the publication of a report in November 2014 which examined issues such as training resource management, treatment of persons in custody and many other areas which are not of relevance to crime statistics. The main focus of the report was on cases of assault, burglary, domestic violence, fatal crime and robbery reported between 2011 and 2012. As part of its analysis, the inspectorate examined 1,500 crime records on the PULSE system, spoke to 1,000 gardaí, examined 158 calls for service received in the 12 months up to mid-2012, visited external stakeholders and other police services, sampled computer-aided dispatch and paper records, collected data on staffing and employment levels, and visited stations and control rooms in various Garda divisions to observe operations.
Of particular interest in respect of the CSO was the inspectorate review of how crime is reported and recorded by An Garda Síochána. Specifically, the report raised several concerns in regard to the accuracy of recorded crime and other administrative data, including the non-recording of crimes on PULSE. In fact, the inspectorate estimated that more than 30% of offences reported were not being recorded on PULSE. It identified evidence of a lack of timely recording of incidents, lack of sufficient detail on PULSE narratives, misclassification of incidents, including to non-crime categories, incorrect reclassification of incidents - again, including to and from non-crime categories - incorrect application of detention status to some incidents, and shortening and alteration of narrative fields to justify subsequent decisions on detention status.
While the issues raised in the report relate primarily to the work of An Garda Síochána, they also have implications for the crime statistics produced by the CSO. In its response to the findings of the Garda Inspectorate, the CSO said it viewed with concern any issues which could have an impact on its official quarterly statistics. The crime data published by the CSO, the office noted, depend entirely on the Garda Síochána's systems and procedures in respect of recorded crime. In November 2014, the director general of the CSO contacted the Garda Commissioner with a view to examining the statistical implications of the inspectorate report. The CSO then commenced work assessing the statistical issues arising. This involved a detailed analysis of both the PULSE system and other Garda administrative data sets by CSO crime section personnel.
This work, which is an important step in ensuring the quality and coverage of crime statistics, delayed the current schedule of publication of the crime statistics by the CSO. The CSO will publish a more detailed response by the end of June 2015, identifying the extent of the impact on statistics in respect of coverage and classification from the issues highlighted in the Garda Inspectorate report. As a precaution, until the conclusion of the CSO review process, the CSO suspended the release of any new statistical information and publications that incorporate PULSE-administered data. The publication of the quarterly record of crime reports of quarter three and quarter four of 2014 and the Garda crime statistics 2009-2013 have been delayed as a direct result of this review process. The CSO will resume publication of quarterly reports in late 2015.
The Garda Inspectorate report on crime investigation forms an important component of the overall justice reform programme, which is currently under way and in respect of which significant progress has already been made. An Garda Síochána has established an implementation steering group to focus on the implementation of short, medium and long-term recommendations in the report and to assist in the overall reform process a strategic transformation office has been established at Garda headquarters to co-ordinate the implementation of reforms arising from the report. As part of this process, An Garda Síochána is reviewing all aspects of how crime is being recorded and classified as a result of the recommendations made in the inspectorate's report. A new instant recording process, which addresses the challenges identified in the report, has been developed and is currently being piloted in three Garda divisions. The pilot is focused on achieving data integrity for both crime and non-crime incidents reported to the Garda information services. That is a comprehensive reply for the Deputies opposite.
Written Answers follow Adjournment.