Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It remains challenging to deal with criminal activity in every society, including Ireland. That is the reality, but I wish to reference something else which is relevant to what the Deputy said in terms of victims of crime in this country. The CSO first carried out a survey in 2010 on crime and victimisation and the most recent survey was published on 19 October 2016. People were surveyed directly rather than relying on reports to Garda stations by individuals on crime. It is encouraging that the overall trends show that crime levels have broadly remained stable or have reduced slightly in some areas since the previous such survey in 2010. When one looks at both the official CSO statistics and the crime and victimisation survey, one sees a reflection of the fact that there is a reduction in crime, but that is not to denigrate the suffering, distress and upset of an individual who has been the victim of a crime and how we need to work continually to reduce crime levels.

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