Review of the Quality of Recorded Crime Statistics 2023

Overall conclusions

The CSO concludes that Garda PULSE data is fit for official statistics purposes, while also noting the improved data for operational policing purposes. CSO makes this recommendation because the terms of our various key recommendations from the Quality Improvement Proposal from 2018 and Quality Reviews have been met, principally:

• The development and implementation of a formal data quality management system for PULSE that ensures fit-for-purpose crime data (developments throughout 2022 & 2023 culminating in quality checking and publishing of those results, with a focus on risk management).
• An independent review conducted on behalf of AGS which found evidence of good controls for the acknowledged risks to data collection and quality.
• There is now a senior manager within AGS who has overall responsibility for data quality (CIO appointed November 2019).
• The provision of a comprehensive and publicly available document explaining how crime is recorded (2020).
• In addition a new Memorandum of Understanding between CSO and AGS which explicitly outlines expectations concerning AGS quality checking and reporting of same. The standard quality checks of PULSE data carried out as part of this fifth CSO Quality Review show evidence of consistent high data quality levels.

The reservation is lifted for recorded crime data disseminated by the CSO from Quarter 1 2023. 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 particular issues which may need to be noted around time series comparability as they arise.

Over the past number of years, AGS has worked to advance the assurance levels which can be provided around PULSE data with the CSO providing guidance on appropriate quality measures. As with all data series, there is never a risk-free data collection process, particularly for something as complex as crime incident recording,  but what CSO has seen is a much-enhanced sense within AGS of the risks to PULSE data quality and the controls and resources needed to manage those risks. The controls in place and the quality checking and reporting being done by AGS (with more to be added), coupled with CSO reserving the right to do its own reviews, provides a level of assurance warranting the lifting of the reservation caveat. The CSO wishes to thank AGS for their ongoing co-operation and professionalism in dealing with these matters.