Anti-social behaviour affecting people's quality of life - CSO

Almost 30% people feel that anti-social behaviour in their area is affecting their quality of life, according to a new survey from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

The Crime and Victimisation household study, which asks about people's experiences, perceptions and reactions to crime, also found that the proportion of those who felt “a little unsafe” or “very unsafe” walking in their local area at night was higher for women (36%) than men (13%), and higher in the most disadvantaged areas of the country (31%) than in the most affluent areas (21%).

More than two-thirds (68%) of persons aged 18 and over said they felt that An Garda Síochána were “very effective” or “quite effective” at tackling crime in their local area. One in ten (10%) said they felt the Gardaí were “not effective at all”.

One in ten (10%) persons aged 18 years and over said that they had been a victim of a violent or non-violent theft or attempted theft, an assault or a fraud crime in the 12 months prior to interview. Younger people were more likely to be a victim of these types of crime, 14% of persons aged 18-29 said they had been a victim compared to 5% of people aged over 60. Dublin had the highest rate of victimisation for these types of crime (13%).

One in 25 households (4%) said they had suffered either a burglary or vandalism to their property in the 12 months prior to interview, with the highest rates in Dublin (6%) and lowest rates in the Border and West regions (both 2%). Around six out of ten households (59%) reported these incidents to An Garda Síochána, with the main reason given for non-reporting by households being that the incident wasn’t considered serious enough.

The survey was carried in second and third quarters of 2019.