Public trust in Gardaí has increased since 2016, survey finds

Satisfaction with the Gardaí was high amongst 16 and 17-year-olds with figures showing 86% were ‘satisfied’ or ‘quite satisfied’.

93% of respondents to the survey said that Gardaí would treat you with respect if you had any contact with them for any reason, while 75% agreed that Gardaí in their area can be relied on to be there when they are needed.

Regardless of gender, age, social class, nationality or experience of victimisation, respondents ranked sexual offences as the top priority for An Garda Síochána.

Other findings of the survey show:

• Victimisation rate at 6%; this figure has been steadily declining since Q1 2016
• Less than one in five (19%) perceive local crime as a ‘very serious’ or ‘serious’ crime - a 4% decrease from 2016
• 38% of survey respondents reported being aware of Garda patrols in their local areas
• 63% of victims were either ‘very satisfied’ or ‘quite satisfied’ with how Gardaí handled their case, an increase from 58% in 2017 and 57% in 2016.

Commenting on the survey results, Deputy Commissioner Policing & Security, John Twomey, said: "These largely positive results reflect the great work done by Garda personnel every day to keep people safe. This can be most clearly seen in the reduction in victimisation and the fall in concerns about crime at national and local level.

"Trust in, and satisfaction with, An Garda Síochána is very high by international standards. This is as a result of the close connections we have with communities. It also very welcome to see how positive young people are towards An Garda Síochána. It is vital that we work hard to maintain this.

"We will continue to work with those communities and all our stakeholders to prevent and detect crimes, particularly against the vulnerable.”