Public trust and satisfaction with gardai and the work they are doing is on the up, according to a new survey.
Figures released this morning in the Garda Public Attitudes Survey 2018, show that a staggering 80% of those asked said they were satisfied with the work being done by the force, an increase of 10% since 2016.
And a massive 90% of correspondents said they had a medium to high level of trust in An Garda Siochana with more females, the elderly and non-Irish nationals having more confidence than males who were asked.
A further 93% said they believed officers would treat a person with respect if they had contact with them for any reason while 86% of 16 and 17-year-old’s said they were happy with the service provided by them.
The numbers are down slightly when it comes to the public’s perception of national crime being ‘very serious’ or a ‘serious’ problem, from 77% in 2016 to 73% last year.
While 19% of respondents believe local crime is a ‘serious’ or ‘very serious’ problem, a decrease of 4% from 2016.
Of those who fell victim to crime, 63% said they were either ‘very satisfied’ or ‘quite satisfied’ with how their case was handled, an increase from 58% in 2017 and 57% in 2016.
However, on the downside a total of 61% of those surveyed said there were ‘not enough’ Garda patrols in their local area.
The majority of those asked, 75%, said they either ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that the officers in their area can be relied on to be there when they are needed.
The majority of members of the public asked, 72%, said that gardai are community-focused while 92% said they were friendly and helpful.
A further 64% said the gardai were effective in tackling crime and 68% said they were also very progressive.
And members of the public said that regardless of gender, age, social class, nationality or experience of victimisation, they ranked sexual offences as the top priority for An Garda Siochana.
The vast majority of respondents, across all demographics, highlighted illegal weapons, human trafficking and robbery as their next priorities.
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 Siochana 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 Siochana. 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.”
