Review of the Quality of Recorded Crime Statistics 2023

What are Recorded Crime statistics?

Recorded Crime statistics compiled by CSO are intended to inform users about the set of criminal offences which are reported to or become known to An Garda Síochána (AGS).

The CSO’s Recorded Crime series, published quarterly, provides statistical information on the number of crime incidents recorded by AGS on PULSE, including analysis by the type of criminal offence, the reference period when the crime incident was reported (i.e., year, quarter), and the location of the incident by Garda administrative areas (e.g., Garda regions, Garda divisions).

The CSO publishes annual statistics on Recorded Crime incidents which have been marked as detected by AGS. Crime incidents are considered to have been detected when at least one person has been identified and sanctioned by AGS for having committed the offence, see Recorded Crime Detection.

The CSO 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.

Recorded Crime statistics are made available to users in CSO Recorded Crime publications, via PxStat the CSO’s new Open Data Portal, or through direct contact with the CSO.

The CSO also uses PULSE crime incident data as a source when compiling other statistical series, such as Prison Re-offending Statistics and Probation Re-offending Statistics.

Background – the introduction of the “Under Reservation” status for recorded crime statistics and current status

Following are the key timelines in the introduction of the “Under Reservation” status for Recorded Crime Statistics.

2014

The Garda Inspectorate report Crime Investigation (2014) raised concerns about the quality of data recorded by AGS on the PULSE database. The findings of the report led the CSO to suspend publication of Recorded Crime statistics in 2014 in order to conduct a review of the impact of the Inspectorate’s findings on Recorded Crime statistics. Some of the findings from the Garda Inspectorate report, and various CSO reviews, include:

• Some crimes being reported to AGS but not recorded on PULSE.
• Poor timeliness in creation of PULSE records and incomplete record- keeping.
• Misclassification of crimes.
• Crimes being marked as “detected” when there is no corresponding sanction for the offender (e.g., a prosecution).

2015

The CSO first review on PULSE data quality related to crimes reported in 2011, and the findings were published in the Review of the Quality of Crime Statistics 2015 (PDF 294KB) . Following the review, the CSO recommenced publication of Recorded Crime statistics in 2015 but began to advise users to consider the quality implications of the review when interpreting the statistics.

2016

A follow-up review, based on data relating to crimes reported in 2015, was carried out during 2016, and the findings were published in Review of the Quality of Crime Statistics 2016 (PDF 259KB) .

2017

In June 2017, the Recorded Crime Q1 2017 statistical release was postponed by the CSO pending the completion of an internal review of homicide incidents by AGS and the investigation of concerns raised separately by the CSO in respect of homicide incident records on PULSE (such as the correct application of crime counting rules). The CSO again deferred publication in September 2017 because the remedial work needed to address the CSO’s observations had not been completed by AGS, and because the scope of the AGS internal review had been extended.

2018

To address the absence of independently produced Recorded Crime statistics and the resulting information vacuum for policy makers and citizens, the CSO decided in March 2018 to recommence publication of Recorded Crime statistics using a new categorisation of ‘Statistics Under Reservation’. The categorisation is used to alert users to the CSO’s concerns in respect of the quality of the data source.

In July 2018, the CSO shared a Quality Improvement Proposal with AGS to outline a set of recommendations which the CSO saw as critical to improving the quality of PULSE data for statistical purposes. The recommendations were as follows:

	Action
1	Appointment of a senior manager with overall responsibility for data quality
2	Provision of a comprehensive and publicly available document explaining how crime is reported
3	Development and implementation of a formal data quality management system for PULSE that ensures fit-for-purpose crime data

The CSO carried out a third review of PULSE data in 2018, relating to crimes reported in 2017 and was published in Review of the Quality of Recorded Crime Statistics 2017 (PDF 539KB)

The review found appreciable development in PULSE data quality since the previous review and acknowledged new data governance controls introduced during 2018 (particularly around the recording of crime detections). The review concluded, however, that further development was required and that the categorisation of Statistics "Under Reservation" should remain in place until a stronger data quality management system was in place to support better quality data outputs.

2021

The CSO carried out a fourth review of PULSE data in 2021, relating to crimes reported in 2020, and the findings were published in Review of the Quality of Recorded Crime Statistics 2020. 

The review, which noted the continued improvements in data quality, and concluded/recommended that the ‘Under Reservation’ caveat would remain for the present time and that:

• “The pathway to lifting the ‘Under Reservation’ is in building enhanced public confidence in the quality of PULSE crime data. Such confidence can only be generated through a trusted and transparent data quality verification process by An Garda Síochána, rooted in a clear appreciation of the data quality risks involved in the crime reporting and recording process. CSO checks are necessarily limited in scope and happen sometime after the data has been recorded, and they are not an appropriate substitute for comprehensive, real-time (or, at least, more frequent) quality reporting by AGS themselves.”

• A “comprehensive" end-to-end review of the incident reporting and data recording process is needed, with a particular focus on examining the risks of agreed AGS procedure for crime reporting and recording not being followed.”

Key timelines in the introduction of the 'Under Reservation' label to Recorded Crime Statistics

Year	Developments
2014	The Garda Inspectorate 'Crime Investigation' report raises concerns about quality of data recorded by AGS on PULSE database. CSO suspends publication of Recorded Crime Statistics
2015	CSO publishes first Review of Quality of Recorded Crime Statistics based on 2011 PULSE data. CSO resumes publication of Recorded Crime Statistics but with quality caveats.
2016	CSO publishes second Review of Quality of Recorded Crime Statistics based on 2015 data
2017	Recorded Crime Statistics for Q1 2017 postposed pending an internal review of homicide incidents by AGS arising from concerns raised by CSO.
2018	CSO resumed publication of Recorded Crime Statistics categorised as  "Under Reservation" to highlight it's concerns about PULSE data. CSO shares a Quality Improvement Proposal with AGS outlining three recommendations critical to improving quality of PULSE data for statistical purposes. CSO publishes third Review of Quality of Crime Statistics based on 2017 data.
2021	CSO published fourth Review of Quality of Crime Statistics based on 2020 data. Key recommendation was a comprehensive end to end review of the crime incident reporting and recording process by AGS.
2022	AGS commissions independent review of its Data Quality Framework.

The scope of this review

In line with Principle 4 - Commitment to Quality of the Irish Statistical System Code of Practice (ISSCOP), the CSO has an ongoing role in monitoring the quality of the data source used to compile Recorded Crime statistics and in communicating information about quality to users. This role does not however extend to assessing the quality of PULSE data for policing purposes. Key data quality dimensions include:

• Relevance - “Statistics meet the needs of users”.
• Accuracy and Reliability - “Statistics accurately and reliably portray reality.”
• Coherence and Comparability - “Statistics are consistent internally, over time and comparable between regions”.
• Accessibility and Clarity - “Statistics are presented in a clear and understandable form, released in a suitable and convenient manner, available and accessible on an impartial basis with supporting metadata and guidance.”

Recorded Crime statistics are based entirely on PULSE crime incident data as there is no alternative source to support or verify them. CSO recognises that the primary purpose of Garda information systems is to support operational policing needs, but that where practicable and resources permit, the information systems will also support statistical needs. Nonetheless, CSO must consider the data quality management framework and quality assurance procedures which underpin data collection on PULSE when evaluating the quality of PULSE data for statistical purposes. This requirement is strengthened by the level of public interest served by the statistics and the nature and scale of data quality concerns which have arisen in the past.

The review is presented as follows:

• An assessment of the quality of PULSE data (based on sample data extracted from PULSE for Quarter 1 2023) is presented in the chapter on CSO Assessment of Data Quality.

• Data quality risks and controls in place in AGS are presented in the chapter on Risks to Data Quality and Controls.

• An independent review of the AGS controls for ensuring data quality is presented in the chapter on Independent Review.

• Key developments since 2021 (the date of the last CSO quality review) is presented in the chapter on Key Developments since 2021.

• A summary of user needs for Recorded Crime statistics and the current availability of data from PULSE to address those needs is presented in the chapter User Needs for Recorded Crime Statistics.

• The conclusions and recommendations from the review are presented in the chapter on Overall Conclusions and Recommendations.