Press release
Minister McEntee welcomes lifting by CSO of ‘Under Reservation’ designation on official crime statistics
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has today welcomed the decision of the Central Statistics Office (CSO) to lift the ‘under reservation’ designation that has been in place for official crime statistics since 2018.
The CSO put crime statistics under reservation in 2018 due to ongoing quality reviews and concerns in relation to PULSE data which informs official crime statistics.
Today’s decision to remove the categorisation means that the recording of statistics is now of sufficient quality for the data in question to be considered as official statistics by the CSO.
Minister McEntee said:
“Today’s decision by the CSO is underpinned by significant investment in technology and data improvements in An Garda Síochána, and very significant progress by An Garda Síochána in connecting data, technology and Garda personnel in the delivery of information-led policing.
“I want to thank all members of An Garda Síochána for working hard to make these improvements and for adapting to new technologies and systems, which are all of significant value in helping us build stronger, safer communities.
“Crime statistics are of huge value to informing An Garda Síochána’s operational policy and policing approach in communities across the country. My department also uses crime statistics to inform our policy making processes.
“This government has been committed to providing An Garda Síochána with the resources they need, including a record budgetary allocation in 2024.
“I am pleased to see the recent, significant investments in Garda ICT have contributed to raising the quality of statistical recording to the sufficient level.
“The ongoing provision of capital funding on Garda ICT infrastructure will support the ongoing business and operational requirements of An Garda Síochána enabling them to deploy the latest, cutting edge technologies in the fight against crime.”
An Garda Síochána has today published the Internal Control Questionnaire which was submitted to the CSO as part of their review and evaluation.
The questionnaire details the improvements made in many areas such as data governance, training, crime data recording procedures and the auditing and monitoring of data quality.