COMMENT: Despite all the scandals, we still trust our gardaí

Despite recent high-profile murder cases and ongoing gangland violence, the crime situation may not actually be as dire as the public – or media – perception of it.

Some of the cases to hit the headlines this year have been truly horrific and I don't need to go into any detail here for readers to know which ones I’m referring to.

Aside from all the murders, shootings, stabbings and sex attacks, we have had to contend with less serious crime. For example, there have been renewed calls for a dedicated transportation police division to deal with anti-social behaviour and criminal thuggery on the DART, Luas and bus network. This is an issue I have touched on in previous columns and recent unsavoury incidents on trains have added to the chorus of demands to make public transport safer.

But it's not all bad news on the crime front. In fact, a Garda Public Attitudes Survey for 2017 shows that the number of victims of crime fell to six percent during that year (a two percent fall from 2016 and five percent fall from 2015).

 The survey also found that the proportion of respondents who consider national and local crime to be a "very serious" or "serious" problem has decreased year on year.

 In line with last year's survey, the majority of people reported having very few or no fears about crime, and, for most, this fear did not affect their quality of life.

 Over 75 percent were satisfied with the Garda service to the local community, while 89 percent had mid to high levels of trust in them.

 In addition, 16 and 17-year-olds had low levels of fear and worry about crime, and were largely positive about An Garda Síochána. 

 The survey also found that 84 percent of victims reported their crime incident to gardaí – up from 75 percent in 2015. The most common reason for non-reporting was a belief that gardaí could not do anything. 

 Given the reputational battering that An Garda Síochána has received in recent times, ordinary members of the force will take heart in the largely positive findings of this survey. 

Senior Garda management, however, have rightly recognised that there are areas in need of improvement, such as keeping victims properly informed and visibility in the community.

 They could start in my area by giving a definite timeline for the reopening of our local Garda station which was closed as an ill-judged cost saving measure during the recession. Properly functioning Garda stations (with reliable opening hours) help inspire confidence in local policing and remain one of the most effective deterrents to crime in our communities.