Following the publication of the fifth Review of the Quality of Crime Statistics in October 2023, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has lifted the 'Under Reservation' categorisation around Recorded Crime Statistics. This is possible because An Garda Síochána have introduced a range of quality measures over the last number of years which have resulted in sustained improvement in the quality of the underlying crime data. These changes give a level of assurance to users that they can rely on Recorded Crime Statistics.
For further information see our Lifting of Under Reservation categorisation for Recorded Crime Statistics FAQ page.
Detection rates for reported crime incidents, as measured in September 2024, for eight of the fourteen crime offence groups in 2023 were equal to or just below 2022 rates.
By September 2024, 16% of reported crime incidents involving Sexual offences reported in 2022 had been detected. At the same time, the detection rate for crime incidents reported in 2023 was 8%.
Over time, about a fifth of reported crime incidents involving Sexual offences lead to a charge or summons.
The crime rate for the Dublin Metropolitan region in 2023 was generally higher than other regions, but the rate of detection was lower for most offence groups.
Males were the suspected offender for most detected crime in 2023, particularly for offence groups such as Sexual offences (92%), Weapons & Explosives offences (92%), and Homicide & Related offences (91%). Females however were the suspected offender in just over a third (35%) of Theft & Related offences.
Most suspected offenders for reported crime incidents in 2023 that have been marked as detected were aged between 18 and 44 years when the incident took place.
This publication provides annual statistics relating to Recorded Crime incidents which have been marked as detected by An Garda Síochána (AGS) up to 2023.
A crime may be marked as detected when:
The rules which govern when an incident may be marked as detected by AGS are set out in the Guide to How Crime is Recorded and Counted by An Garda Síochána (PDF 959KB) document, which explains the current rules and procedures for recording crime data on PULSE.
The CSO also publishes annual statistics in respect of persons who have been recorded as the victims or suspected offenders of serious crimes against the person such as homicide, sexual violence or assault and related offences, see Recorded Crime Victims and Suspected Offenders.
The CSO published its fifth CSO Review of the Quality of Recorded Crime Statistics in October 2023. As part of this review, the CSO lifted the ‘Under Reservation’ designation from all Recorded Crime data disseminated after Quarter 1 (Q1) 2023.
An Garda Síochána (AGS) has worked over the past number of years to advance the assurance levels which can be provided around Garda PULSE data, and in particular the quality management developments of 2022 and 2023. This work has seen the development of quality assurance processes by AGS over the period which has culminated in the implementation of a more formal data quality management system by AGS.
The recorded crime series has been progressively improving over time with the cumulative impact of the improved data quality, assessment, and assurance measures being seen in a higher data quality level as noted in various CSO reviews in recent years.
Given the new AGS controls for quality checking and reporting, coupled with the CSO reserving the right to do its own reviews, a level of assurance has been provided warranting the lifting of the "Under Reservation” categorisation.
However, some judgement should be exercised by users when using data produced in the earlier years of the recorded crime time series given the legacy quality issues which have been commented on in various reviews. For instance, detections data pre and post 2018 are not comparable given the improved governance controls introduced in that year.
The CSO will continue to inform users of the quality of the data they are using, and of any issues which may need to be noted around time series comparability as they arise.
Learn about our data and confidentiality safeguards, and the steps we take to produce statistics that can be trusted by all.
Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (27 November 2024) published Recorded Crime Detection 2023.
Commenting on the release, Jim Dalton, Statistician in the Crime & Criminal Justice Section, said: “Recorded Crime Detection statistics published today show that recorded crime detection rates in 2023 were equal to or above 2022 rates for more than half of detected crime when measured at the same point in time.
A crime may be marked as detected when An Garda Síochána have identified at least one person responsible for committing the offence and that person has been issued a charge or summons, a formal or informal caution, or a fixed payment notice.
The CSO measures detection rates eight months after the end of a particular year to ensure consistency in the measurement of detections over time.
Detection rates
The statistics show that when measured in September 2024, the detection rates for crime incidents reported in 2023 were higher for four of the fourteen crime offence groups compared with 12 months earlier. The largest difference was for Homicide & Related offences where the detection rate for crime incidents reported in 2023 at 82% was eight percentage points higher than when measured 12 months earlier. Others included Kidnapping & Related offences (33%, +4 percentage points), Burglary & Related offences (22%, +2 percentage points), and Offences against Government, Justice Procedures & Organisation of Crime (63%, +2 percentage points).
The crime detection rate for crimes reported in 2023 was the same as 12 months earlier for a further four crime offence groups when measured at the same time. These included Theft & Related offences (31%), Fraud, Deception & Related offences (8%), Weapons & Explosives offences (71%), and Damage to Property & to the Environment (20%).
The detection rate for recorded crime in 2023 was lower than in 2022 for all other crime offence groups. Among these, Controlled Drugs offences (down 4 percentage points to 79%), Attempts/Threats to Murder, Assaults, Harassments & Related offences (down 3 percentage points to 28%), and Robbery, Extortion & Hijacking offences (down 3 percentage points to 23%) showed the biggest difference between both periods.
Crime and detection rates by Garda Region
The crime rate for the Dublin Metropolitan region was generally higher than other regions but the rate of detection in 2023 was highest for just three of the fourteen offence groups.
For example, this region experienced a crime rate of 2,522 incidents per 100,000 people for Theft & Related offences which was nearly twice the State average and more than three times as much as the North Western region. However, the detection rate at 26% for the Dublin Metropolitan region for this crime was the lowest among all the regions. Other examples include Robbery, Extortion & Hijacking offences where the crime rate in Dublin, at 97 incidents per 100,000 people, was twice the State average of 49 incidents per 100,000 people. However, the detection rate for the Dublin Metropolitan region for this offence group was 24% compared with 26% for the Eastern region and 25% for the Southern region.
Crime detection rates for the Dublin Metropolitan region were however highest in 2023 among Controlled Drugs offences (83%) and Weapons & Explosives offences (78%). This was coupled with the Dublin Metropolitan region having the highest crime rates also for these offence groups. See Background Notes for full breakdown of regions.
Reported crimes leading to a charge or summons
Between 2017 and 2021, about a fifth of reported crime incidents involving Sexual offences led to a charge or summons. The share for those reported in 2022 and 2023 is lower at 13% and 7% respectively but would be expected to increase with time.
The share of reported incidents of Fraud, Deception & Related offences between 2021 and 2023 that led to a charge or summons was significantly lower than prior to 2021. A more than doubling in the number of recorded crime incidents of this crime from 7,864 to 17,175 between 2020 and 2021 was a likely contributory factor here.
Suspected offenders
As in previous years, males continued to be the suspected offender for most detected crime for 2023. For example, males were the suspected offender for nine in ten Weapons & Explosives offences, Sexual offences, Homicide & Related offences, Robbery, Extortion & Hijacking offences, and Controlled Drugs offences. However, females were the suspected offender in just over a third (35%) of detected Theft & Related offences.
The age of suspected offenders
The suspected offender was aged between 18 and 44 years when the detected crime incident took place for most offence groups in 2023. This ranged from six in ten suspected offenders of Sexual offences and Homicide & Related offences to eight in ten suspected offenders of Controlled Drugs offences and Offences against Government, Justice Procedures & Organisation of Crime. In between, three out of every four suspected offenders of Fraud, Deception & Related offences and Public Order & Other Social Code offences were of this age group.
About a fifth (21%) of reported Robbery, Extortion & Hijacking offences, and Damage to Property & the Environment (20%) offences in 2023 involved suspected offenders under the age of 18 years at the time of the offence.
Fixed Payment Notices
The results show that fixed payment notices issued by An Garda Síochána in 2023 were down for several offences from a year earlier. The more notable rates of decrease included Public Order offences where the number of notices fell by 22% to 5,217, Parking offences which were down 12% to 25,924 notices issued, and notices issued for Cycling offences almost halved to 562.
However, there were some exceptions, and these included notices issued for Unaccompanied Learner Driver (+13% to 8,427 notices), Failing to Display L or N plates (+9% to 5,653 notices), and Holding a Mobile Phone while Driving (+3% to 18,886 notices).
Impact of COVID-19 on Data for 2020 and 2021
Data for 2020 and 2021 for some crime categories are likely to have been influenced by the public health restrictions imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.”