Press Statement

Preasráiteas

29 September 2020

Go to release: Recorded Crime Q2 2020

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (29 September 2020) published the latest Recorded Crime statistics which cover the period to the end of June 2020. The statistics released today begin to show the impact on Recorded Crime levels of measures introduced to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Commenting on the release, Sam Scriven, Statistician, said: ‘The impact of COVID-19 restrictions on levels of Recorded Crime is apparent in the latest statistics. The number of burglary offences recorded during Q2 2020 was 52.8% lower than for the equivalent period in 2019. The number of thefts (down by 38.7%) and robberies (down by 29.9%) were also dramatically reduced. Sexual offences and assaults also saw significant decreases, lower by 20.5% and 15.9% respectively in Q2 2020 relative to the corresponding period in 2019.

The number of victims of assault recorded in Q2 2020 was 989 or 19.2% lower than for the corresponding period in 2019. This fall was mostly accounted for by a reduction in male victims, down 787 (-26%) on Q2 2019. Younger age groups for females showed reductions in the number of victims, however the numbers of female victims in age groups 30-44 (up 13, or 1.8%), and 60 or over (up 14, or 18.4%) were higher in Q2 2020 than in Q2 2019.

Not included in the statistical tables are recorded crime incidents associated with breaches of the Health Act 1947 which, in the period up to June 2020, resulted from the enforcement of movement restrictions relating to COVID-19. During Q2 2020 there were 281 such incidents. The CSO continues to engage with An Garda Síochána regarding the nature of these incidents, with a view to classifying them appropriately in future publications.

The CSO welcomes the recent publication of the “Guide to How Crime is Recorded and Counted” by An Garda Síochána during August 2020. The availability of this comprehensive document is an important development, not only for providing transparency in how crime is recorded on PULSE, but also in allowing users to better understand and use its statistical outputs.’

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