Following the publication today by the Central Statistics Office of the crime statistics for Quarter 4, 2013, Commissioner Noirín O’Sullivan commented:
"The decrease in crime rates in 11 of the 14 crime groups reflects the commitment and hard work being carried out by the dedicated members of An Garda Síochána throughout the organisation every day of the week. Such a reduction would not have been possible without the close partnership we are fortunate to have with communities. It is absolutely vital that we do all we can to maintain and enhance our close connections with communities so as ensure they are kept safe.
We know that crimes such as burglary, property damage and public order are a major concern for people as they can impact on their quality of their daily lives. That is why we put in place successful operations such as our anti-burglary Operation Fiacla.
So it is particularly pleasing to see large reductions in the Burglary and Related Offences (down 7.2%), Damage to Property and the Environment (down 10.7%), and Public Order and Other Social Code Offences (down 17.1%).
Similarly, it is heartening to see that our on-going road safety messages and enforcement measures have helped lead to a reduction in the number of people driving dangerously over the limit, which is reflected in the decrease of 15.5% in the Dangerous and Negligent Acts category.
At the same time, the rise in Homicide Offences is due to increases in dangerous driving leading to death so it is critical that An Garda Síochána, the RSA, statutory and voluntary bodies, and the public continue to work together to make our roads safer.
In addition, the fall in Weapons and Explosive Offences (down 9.9%) and Controlled Drugs Offences (down 6.4%) confirm that our on-going efforts to tackle organised crime and subversive activity are working and are necessary to continue to help protect citizens, communities and the State.
However, we must remain vigilant and we are constantly monitoring emerging crime trends and patterns so that when increases in crime groups occur we can put in place targeted and co-ordinated measures to reduce them.
For example, when it was clear that Theft and Related Offences were increasing, we ran a very successful National Crime Prevention Day of Action in December highlighting the growth in smartphone theft and how people could protect themselves from having their phones robbed. This information campaign, which provided crime prevention advice through Garda.ie, our social media channels and the media, ran in conjunction with a range of enforcement measures.”
