Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

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 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.

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