Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 245: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of crimes recorded and detected across all headings in Wicklow-Wexford Garda division during 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13736/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I am informed by the Garda authorities that the following table provides the total number of headline offences, by group, recorded and detected in the Garda division of Wicklow-Wexford for the years 2000-05 inclusive.

The introduction of the PULSE computer system by the Garda Síochána in 1999 has led to more complete and comprehensive recording of crimes reported than was previously the case. Consequently the statistics provided for 1997 are not comparable to statistics provided for 2000 and subsequent years.

The figures provided for 2000 and 2001 are incomplete due to the phased implementation of PULSE. The first full year captured is 2002 and is a more accurate base year to use.

Any interpretation of the crime figures should factor in the increase in our population in the past ten years. In 1995, with a population of almost 3.6 million people, there were 29 crimes per 1,000 of the population. In 2005, with a population of over 4.1 million, there were 24.6 crimes per 1,000 of the population, a reduction of 4.4 crimes per 1,000 of the population. To put this in context, during the two full years of the rainbow coalition Government, with a population of 600,000 fewer than at present, the headline crime figures were as follows: 1995, 102,484; 1996, 100,785.

It should also be noted that the headline offence of homicide includes not only murder and manslaughter but the other homicide offences of infanticide, abortion, attempted murder and threat to murder. Over the six year period shown in the table there were five murders recorded with four detected, and five manslaughters recorded with five detected.