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Minister Flanagan notes release of CSO Crime Statistics for 2019

  • annualised totals of crime statistics for 2019 also published
  • An Garda Síochána now has its largest workforce
  • victims of crime urged to consult the new Victims Charter for information on services and supports available

The Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan TD, today noted the publication of Recorded Crime Statistics by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) for Q4 2019.

Compared to the CSO’s recorded crime statistics for 2018, the annualised statistics for 2019 show a decrease in homicide offences, a decrease in robbery and a decrease in burglary and related offences.

There was an increase in a range of offence categories, including:

  • sexual offences
  • fraud, deception and related offences
  • drugs offences
  • weapons and explosives offences

There was a significant decrease in the number of homicide offences committed to the end of 2019 in comparison to the number committed in 2018 (37.5%). However there was an increase in the number of recorded incidents of attempted murder, threats to murder and assaults causing harm in 2019.

Reflecting on this, Minister Flanagan said:

"I welcome the ongoing downward trend of homicide offences recorded in 2019, in comparison with 2018 and 2017 and in particular that the number of murders fell by 15 from 2018 to 2019. However every murder is one too many and the increase in attempts and threats to murder starkly remind us of the ongoing challenge faced by An Garda Síochána in tackling serious criminality. An Garda Síochána continues to make important progress in this field including their work to prevent gang-related murders."

Noting the 3.9% increase in sexual offences, representing a total 3,307 recorded offences in 2019, the Minister said:

"There has been an upward trend in sexual offences since 2015. I continue to urge all victims of sexual offences to come forward and report their experience to An Garda Síochána. I want to make it very clear to would be perpetrators that these horrific crimes will not go unpunished. Specialist services to respond to the needs of victims of sexual crime continue to be rolled out. A total of 15 Divisional Protective Services Units have now been established around the country, with Units expected to be set up in remaining Divisions this year. These Units, and the specialist training of the Gardaí attached to them, will ensure the delivery of a consistent, specialised, professional and sensitive approach to the investigation of sexual crime nationwide."

Recorded offences in relation to drugs increased in a number of categories. Controlled drug offences rose by 17.3% in 2019 compared to 2018, with an increase both in possession for sale or supply as well as possession of drugs for personal use.

Minister Flanagan said:

"There has been marked increase in recorded drugs offences this year compared to both 2017 and 2018. This increase is concerning, however, it should be acknowledged that it is also reflective of the increased number of Gardaí on the frontline and the concentrated work of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau. The 100% increase in recorded instances of drugs importation again shows that An Garda Síochána, in partnership with other relevant agencies nationally and internationally, are having significant success in disrupting drug trafficking and the supply of illicit drugs in Ireland."

Minister Flanagan continued:

"I am particularly concerned at the substantial increase in the number of recorded incidents of driving while under the influence of drugs (up over 142% for 2019). This is in stark contrast with the downwards trend in incidents of driving while over the legal alcohol limit (down by 6.7% in 2019).

"Driving while under the influence of drugs is an act of utter recklessness and any person who does so shows a complete disregard for their own safety and that of other road users. I commend An Garda Síochána for their efforts to tackle this appalling act."

The Minister added:

"I call again on all members of the public to recognise the deep harm linked with recreational use of drugs - the purchase and use of illegal drugs by otherwise law-abiding people directly fuels organised and violent crime. I urge those who engage in recreational use of illegal drugs to exercise their personal responsibility and to stop supporting violent crime in this way. We all have a part to play in reducing this scourge."

The number of recorded prostitution offences have increased from 37 in 2018 to 113 in 2019. It may be noted that the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 expanded prostitution related offences through providing for two new offences of paying for sexual activity with a prostitute and paying for sexual activity with a trafficked person. The Act also removes those who offer their services as a prostitute from the existing offences of soliciting for prostitution.

Minister Flanagan said:

"I note that Gardaí have carried out a number of days of action in 2019, under Operation Quest, to target the demand for sexual services and to enforce the law criminalising the purchase of sex and other related crime. The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017, which established offences in relation to payment for sex, will be reviewed this year. This review will include consideration of the number of arrests and convictions in respect of the new offences, as well as an assessment of the impact of the Act on the welfare of those who engage in sexual activity for payment. I look forward to learning from the results of that review."

There has been an increase of over 26% in fraud, deception and related offences compared to 2018. Since 2018, changes have been made to the Pulse system to improve the quality and consistency of recording of insurance related crime.

Minister Flanagan said:

"A range of measures are being taken to prevent and combat fraud, including insurance fraud. First, Gardaí are taking steps to ensure consistency in how reports of potential fraud are received, recorded and disseminated for investigation. This as well as changes to the Pulse system made in 2018 will assist in ensuring that we have a reliable baseline against which to compare these figures in future years.

"It is also the case that there is an increased focus in tackling this form of criminality, in particular through the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau since its establishment less than 4 years ago. The Bureau has dedicated expert staff, including professional forensic accountants, to address white collar and other fraud and economic crimes. I strongly encourage everyone to report any incidents of fraud or related offences, to enable Gardaí to pursue offenders and in this way contribute to the safety of the public."

Reflecting on the statistics overall, Minister Flanagan said:

"While statistical releases reflect a point in time, they provide us with very valuable insight to us all in relation to trends and challenges in the criminal justice sector. I am confident in the ability of An Garda Síochána to continue to address all forms of criminality, including in the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic."

Finally, Minister Flanagan took the opportunity to remind victims of crime that a range of supports and services are available to them. The Charter is available online at www.victimscharter.ie.

He said:

"Last month I was delighted to publish a new, expanded Victims Charter, which sets out information on the services offered by the State as well as voluntary groups who work with victims of crime.

"I know that becoming a victim of a crime can be a deeply traumatic experience and I appreciate that it can be daunting for victims to begin the process of dealing with and recovering from their experience. But I encourage anybody who has been the victim of a crime to come forward and report it to An Garda Síochána. The new Victims Charter sets out clearly what a victim of crime can expect from their interactions with the criminal justice system, as well as the supports available to them."

ENDS

Notes to the Editor:

There are now over 14,750 Gardaí nationwide - the highest number in the history of the State.

These Gardaí are supported by almost 3,000 civilian staff who are freeing Gardaí up from administrative duties and allowing Gardaí to return to frontline policing.

The Garda Commissioner keeps the allocation of these resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities, to ensure their optimum use.

The full statistics can be accessed at: www.cso.ie.

Deferral of the official crime statistic publication by the CSO

In early 2018, the CSO announced its decision to resume publication of recorded crime statistics in the first six months of 2018. However, as PULSE data – on which the CSO is wholly dependent - is subject to a number of separate ongoing quality reviews and concerns that extended beyond just homicide data, the CSO made the decision that recorded crime statistics will be published in a new category entitled: “Under Reservation”.

“Under Reservation”

According to the CSO, the classification of “Under Reservation” is in keeping with other jurisdictions and other statistical domains. This indicates that, while the statistics have been determined to be of sufficient quality to allow publication, ongoing issues mean that the quality does not yet meet the higher standard required of official statistics by the CSO.

Criteria for lifting the categorisation

The CSO is engaging with An Garda Síochána to set out the criteria for the lifting of the reservation. These criteria are not confined to homicide data but will address quality concerns across a broader range of issues. They will address issues such as data governance, training, crime data recording procedures and the auditing and monitoring of data quality.

CSO Review Quality of Recorded Crime Statistics

On 11 December 2018, the CSO published a third review of the quality of Recorded Crime statistics. The latest review is based on data recorded on the PULSE database in respect of crimes reported to An Garda Síochána (AGS) in 2017.

The review found considerable development in the quality of Recorded Crime statistics since the publication of the last CSO quality review in 2016, including:

  • a marked reduction in the non-recording of reported crime incidents on PULSE
  • a reduction in classification errors
  • improvement made in criminal incidents being recorded in a timely manner on PULSE
  • improvement made in the recording of criminal incident records subsequently marked invalid

The scope of this review expanded on previous CSO reviews to include data quality concerns arising from the examination of homicide data records during 2017 such as the correct application of crime counting principles. The CSO has also undertaken, for the first time, to assess the quality of statistics relating to crimes with a discriminatory motive and domestic abuse. The CSO concludes that further work is needed to improve the accuracy of recording in these areas, and work is underway in that regard.

Garda resources

A record €1.88 billion was allocated to the Garda Vote for 2020. Significant capital investment is also being made, amounting to over €116 million this year. This includes investment of €342 million in Garda ICT infrastructure between 2016 and 2021 to enable An Garda Síochána to deliver on reform and deploy the latest cutting edge technologies in delivering professional policing and security services for the community.

The workforce of An Garda Síochána is now at its highest ever, with over 14,750 Garda members and almost 3,000 Garda staff. Since the reopening of the Garda College in 2015, approximately 3,525 new Garda recruits have attested and been assigned to frontline policing duties around the country. The increase in Garda staff has also facilitated the redeployment of Gardaí from administrative to operational policing duties where their training and expertise can be used to best effect.

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