Number of People Who Said They Were Victims of Crime Falls Again – Q2 2017 Garda Public Attitudes Survey
- Victimisation rate at 5.7% in Q2 2017 down from 6.9% in Q1 2017, and down from 9% in Q2 2016 - 9% increase in victim satisfaction from Q2 2016 to Q2 2017 - Reduction in the fear of crime - 6% year-on-year increase in satisfaction levels with service from An Garda Síochána - Perceptions of the organisation generally higher in 2017 than in 2016
An Garda Síochána’s Public Attitudes Survey for Q2 2017 has shown another reduction in the number of people who said they were victims of crime. There was a drop in the victimisation rate from 9% in Q2 2016 to 5.7% in Q2 2017. The victimisation rate also dropped on a quarterly basis from 6.9% in Q1 2017.
The Q2 2017 Survey also found improved satisfaction among victims who reported their crime to Gardaí, an increase in satisfaction levels with the service provided by An Garda Síochána, and a reduction in the fear of crime when compared to Q2 2016.
Nearly 90% of respondents (88%) had mid to high trust in An Garda Síochána in the quarter, and perceptions of the effectiveness and capability of the Garda organisation had improved since the same period a year ago.
The Garda Public Attitudes Survey, which is conducted by Amarach Research on behalf of An Garda Síochána, asks a nationally representative sample of 1,500 people each quarter their views on a range of issues relating to An Garda Síochána. The Q2 2017 survey was conducted between April and June of this year.
The margin of error for the survey is 2.53% and as analysis is done on smaller proportions, the margin of error increases. This should be taken into account when examining analysis of victims of crime. The Public Attitudes Survey is one of a number of tools used by Garda management to determine future organisational and operational activity.
Deputy Commissioner, Policing and Security, John Twomey commented: "It is very welcome that the survey shows less people are saying they have been victims of crime, that fear of crime is continuing to reduce, and perceptions of crime as being a serious problem nationally and locally are falling. This shows the value of our approach to tackling key crimes impacting on communities. The increase in satisfaction among victims also demonstrates we have taken on-board the concerns of victim groups and the Garda Inspectorate by improving our service to victims. It is vital that we continue our strong focus on preventing crime from happening in the first instance, but, when it does happen, investigating those crimes and helping the victims. These kinds of improvements across a range of policing activities will continue through our Modernisation and Renewal Programme.”
The main findings of An Garda Síochána’s Public Attitudes Survey for Q2 2017 are:
Victims of Crime
- In Q2 2017, the victimisation rate was 5.7%. This compares with a rate of 9% for the same quarter last year. - Satisfaction among victims of crime who reported their crime to An Garda Síochána rose 9% from 52% in Q2 2016 to 61% in Q2 2017. - During Q2 2017, 86% of victims interviewed said they had reported their most recent crime incident compared to 76% in Q2 2016. - The majority of victims (56%) felt the right amount of information had been provided to them. This is a 9% increase from Q2 2016.
Perceptions of Crime
- In Q2 2017, 76% of people perceived national crime to be either a very serious or serious problem down 3% from the same period in 2016. - In Q2 2017, 19% of respondents considered crime in their local area to be a very serious or serious problem. This is compared to 25% in Q2 2016.
Fear and Worry about Crime
- During Q2 2017 nearly half (49%) of respondents said they did not worry about becoming a victim of crime – this is a 1% increase from Q2 2016. - 73% of people reported that their fear of crime had no impact on their quality of life – this is a 12% increase from Q2 2016.
Garda Visibility
- In Q2 2017, 36% of respondents were aware of Garda patrols in their local area – this is a 2% increase from Q2 2016. - In Q2 2017, 45% of respondents considered Garda presence in their local area to be at about the right level. This is an increase of 10% from Q2 2016.
Equality of treatment
The following two questions were asked for the first time in Q1 2017. - 90% of respondents in the Q2 2017 survey said they felt members of An Garda Síochána would treat them with respect if they had contact with them for any reason. This was down 3% from Q1 2017.
- When asked if Gardaí in their area treat everyone fairly regardless of who they are, 81% of people agreed. This was down 3% from Q1 2017.
Satisfaction with An Garda Síochána
- In Q2 2017, 71% of respondents said they were either very satisfied or satisfied with the service provided by An Garda Síochána to local communities. This is up 6% from Q2 2016. It is down 3% from Q1 2017.
Trust in An Garda Síochána
- In Q2 2017, 88% of respondents stated they had a mid to high level of trust in An Garda Síochána. This is an increase of 1% from Q2 2017. It is down 4% from Q1 2017.
Perceptions of the Garda Organisation
- Between Q2 2016 and Q2 2017 there was an improvement in perceptions of the Garda organisation across four out of six measures of effectiveness and capability.
- In Q2 2017, 85% of respondents agreed that members of An Garda Síochána were friendly or helpful (up 3% from Q1 2016), 63% agreed that the organisation was community focused (up 3%), 58% thought the organisation was modern or progressive (up 5%), 55% said it was effective in tackling crime (up 8%), 37% said it was well managed (down 3%), and 36% thought An Garda Síochána provides a world-class police service (down 1%).
- There was a decline between Q1 2017 and Q2 2017 in terms of the organisation being friendly or helpful (-2%), community focused (-2%), modern or progressive (-2%), well managed (-6%), providing a world class police service (-5%). There was no change in effective in tackling crime.
