Mr. Pat Leahy:

I will certainly comment on it, although the Chairman is right that I do not have the figures with me. So many changes have taken place in the crime counting rules and various other aspects. The committee would certainly need an analyst to describe and explain what has happened in respect of the statistics. There are anomalies in statistics for detections, for sure. Across policing generally, it is an area about which we need to be really careful.

There are perverse outcomes that come from chasing detections and we have seen that in the past across the globe. For example, if I send out 50 additional gardaí in Dublin city centre on Friday and Saturday night next, the public order figures will shoot up because I will have more people to engage earlier with public order incidents. That does not mean public order is any worse. Equally, if I say there is no overtime this weekend and nobody is working on public order, the figures will drop and it will look really good. We need to look into and beyond the statistics. There are questions to be asked. I am only giving an example showing how the statistics can change without it meaning that the situation has changed. In respect of sexual assaults, we are doing everything we can to make it easier for people to report in that space. That is what we want. However, that is going to affect both the numbers and the detection rates. We are trying to achieve one outcome but we are being hammered because we are achieving it. There really is a deep understanding required in respect of detection and reporting rates. The committee would need to dedicate a day to the subject on its own.