Mr. Barry Carey:

We have looked for the reclassification of various crimes on PULSE. If everything is put into the one melting pot, when it comes out it does not reflect the location of crimes. It might tell us what county it is in but it will not tell us that it is in a rural area. If it happens in an urban town then it is not in a rural area. The capabilities are not in the system to classify a crime that occurred in a rural area as a rural crime. For example, there has been a spate of Toyota Land Cruisers stolen in the north Dublin, Meath and Louth area over the last period of time. It has happened in other parts of the country as well but not in the same intensity. That is unlawful taking of a vehicle. If we look at where they are taken from it is a rural crime and if that was categorised as a rural crime with the locations given, it could be seen that there is a problem in a specific area and the additional resources that are required could be put into that specific area. That would give a far more accurate annual statistic of where the problems are arising.