An Garda Síochána and Minister for Justice Helen McEntee welcome CSO lifting of reservation on crime statistics
By Noah Murray
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) have announced the lifting of the ‘Statistics Under Reservation’ categorisation from recorded crime statistics which had been in place since March, 2018.
The reason recorded crime statistics were placed under reservation was due to concerns from the CSO on the quality of the data source.
Statistician with the Crime and Criminal Justice section of the CSO James Dalton, explains the CSO’s reasoning for their decision in the audio clip below:
All credit for this clip goes to the CSO.
An Garda Síochána Reaction
An Garda Síochána has welcomed the decision by the CSO to lift the reservation.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris speaking on the news had this to say: “The decision by the CSO to lift the “Under Reservation” designation of official crime statistics is welcomed.
This milestone decision is a recognition of the progress made by An Garda Síochána in connecting data, technology and Garda personnel in the delivery of information-led policing.
This decision also recognises the huge contribution of all Garda personnel in adopting data and technology in their work. There is still much more to do, but data and technology now track and sometimes lead virtually every step of policing”.
Also speaking on the decision, An Garda Síochána’s Chief Information Officer, Mr. Andrew O’Sullivan said:
“Three years into the implementation of the Garda Data & Technology Vision 2020-2025, data and technology have transformed into two of the organisation’s most effective and valuable policing tools.
Most importantly, the increased use of data by Garda personnel ensures that it is being constantly checked, assessed and improved. The end result is progressively higher quality data as demonstrated by our own published metrics, internal reviews and now confirmed by the CSO.”
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee comments on the CSO’s decision
In reaction to the news from the CSO that the reservation on crime statistics has been lifted, Minister McEntee has praised An Garda Síochána for their involvement in the improving of data collection and use of new technology:
“I want to thank all members of An Garda Síochána for working hard to make these improvements and for adapting to new technologies and systems, which are all of significant value in helping us build stronger, safer communities.”
Minister McEntee also praised recent investment in Garda ICT. She stated the government’s intent to providing further investment into An Garda Síochána:
“This Government has been committed to providing An Garda Síochána with the resources they need, including a record budgetary allocation in 2024.
“I am pleased to see the recent, significant investments in Garda ICT have contributed to raising the quality of statistical recording to the sufficient level.
“The ongoing provision of capital funding on Garda ICT infrastructure will support the ongoing business and operational requirements of An Garda Síochána enabling them to deploy the latest, cutting edge technologies in the fight against crime.”
Key findings from the CSO statistics
There has been an increase in reported incidents of homicide and robbery, extortion and hijacking offences since the start of the year to Quarter 2.
There was also a 25% increase in theft and related offences classed crime since the start of the year, with theft from shops, which contributes to half of this increase, going up by 27% over the course of the year.
Fraud, Deception and related offences have seen a 37% drop with improvements in detecting potential fraud and stopping unauthorised transactions being a key reason for this drop.
