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.
Where a victim and suspected offender are recorded for a detected crime incident it is possible to link a victim and suspected offender to produce a limited profile (i.e., age and sex) of the victim and suspected offender relationship. Table 4.1 therefore differs from Table 2.1 in that the former refers to detected crime and the latter refers just to crime incidents reported to An Garda Síochána.
One in five (20%) detected Sexual offences in 2022 involved both a male suspected offender and male victim compared to 15% in 2021. Four in every five (79%) detected Sexual offences in 2022 involved a male suspected offender and a female victim.
In just over six out of ten (63%) Murder or Manslaughter crime incidents recorded in 2022, the suspected offender and victim were both male. In about a fifth (22%) of such detected crimes, the suspected offender was a male, and the victim was a female compared with nearly four in ten (38%) in 2021.
The suspected offender and victim were male in just over a half (53%) of detected Attempts/Threats to Murder, Assaults, Harassments and Related offences. Just under three out of ten (28%) such detected crimes involved a male suspected offender and female victim. Within this category, much the same share of detected Attempts/Threats to Murder (52%) and Assault (53%) crimes involved both a male suspected offender and male victim. However, a higher share of detected Attempts/Threats to Murder offences (42%) involved a male suspected offender and female victim than Assault offences (26%). When the suspected offender of detected assaults was a female, 7% of victims were male and 13% were female.
Just under six out of ten (59%) detected Harassment and Related offences involved a male suspected offender and female victim. One in four (25%) of such offences involved both a male suspected offender and male victim. Both victim and suspected offender were female in 13% of such offences. See Figure 4.1 and Table 4.1
| Male suspected offender and male victim | Male suspected offender and female victim | Female suspected offender and male victim | Female suspected offender and female victim | |
| Murder or Manslaughter offences | 58 | 27 | 11 | 4 |
| Sexual offences | 20 | 79 | 1 | 1 |
| Attempts/Threats to Murder, Assaults, Harassments & Related offences | 53 | 28 | 7 | 13 |
Just over a quarter (27%) of detected Sexual offences in 2022 involved a victim who was under 18 years and a suspected offender who was aged 30 years or more when the incident occurred. A further fifth (19%) of detected Sexual offences involved this same age cohort of suspected offenders and victims aged 18-29 years and 13% for offences against victims who were at least 30 years of age. Suspected offenders who were aged under 18 or between 18 and 29 years were responsible for equal shares (13% each) of detected Sexual offences where the victim was under 18 years. One in ten (10%) detected Sexual offences involved both the suspected offender and the victim being aged 18-29 years. See Figure 4.2 and Table 4.2.
| X-axis label | Suspected offender aged under 18 | Suspected offender aged 18-29 | Suspected offender aged 30 and over |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime victim aged under 18 | 13 | 1 | 1 |
| Crime victim aged 18-29 | 13 | 10 | 3 |
| Crime victim aged 30 and over | 27 | 19 | 13 |
Turning to detected Homicide & Related offences, the suspected offender was at least 18 years of age at the time of the incident for nearly all (98%) offences. Just under a half (48%) of such offences involved a suspected offender and victim who were at least 30 years of age. The suspected offender and victim were aged 18-29 years for about one in ten (11%) detected Homicide & Related offences in 2022. A similar profile was observed for Murder/Manslaughter offences.
The profile for detected Attempts/threats to Murder, Assaults, Harassments and Related offences was quite similar to Homicide & Related offences in that the majority (85%) of suspected offenders and victims both tended to be at least 18 years of age. Four out of every ten (40%) offences involved a suspected offender and victim who were at least 30 years old at the time of the offence. Suspected offenders who were under 18 years were responsible for 15% of all offences under this heading. The profile for two of the constituent categories -Attempts/Threats to Murder and Assaults were broadly similar.
However, the profile for detected Harassment & Related offences in 2022 was somewhat different. Nearly half (46%) of such offences involved suspected offenders and victims who were at least 30 years of age but a higher proportion (22%) involved suspected offenders who were under 18 years of age when the incident took place. See Table 4.2.
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