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Press Statement

Preasráiteas

15 May 2020

Press Statement Recorded Crime Victims 2019 and Suspected Offenders 2018

CSO publishes Statistics on Victims and Suspected Offenders of Recorded Crime in Ireland - Under Reservation
  • First statistical release on suspected offenders of recorded crime in Ireland
  • Majority of homicide (82%) and physical assault (59%) victims in 2019 were male
  • Majority of sexual violence victims (81%) in 2019 were female
  • In 2018, 98% of suspected offenders of detected sexual violence crimes were male
  • Recorded crime victim and suspected offender statistics categorised as Statistics Under Reservation

Go to release: Recorded Crime Victims 2019 and Suspected Offenders 2018

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (15 May 2020) published statistics relating to persons recorded as victims and as suspected offenders of crimes including homicides, sexual violence and physical assaults and related offences in Ireland, based on data recorded by An Garda Síochána.

Commenting on the release, Sam Scriven, Statistician, said: "The figures published today provide detail on the age and gender of both victims and suspected offenders of serious crimes reported to An Garda Síochána.

In 2019, 82% of homicide victims were males, while 59% of victims of reported physical assault and related offences were males. However, as in the previous year’s findings, more than 4 in 5 victims (81%) of reported sexual violence incidents were females.

The reporting of sexual violence crimes by victims, which continued to increase in 2019, encompasses the reporting of incidents which occurred recently (62% within one year), as well as the reporting of historic cases of sexual violence. Almost 90% of the cases which occurred within one year involved female victims. Almost a quarter (24%) of sexual violence crime reported to An Garda Síochána in 2019 referred to incidents which took place ten or more years prior to being reported. 

In 2018, most suspected offenders in detected homicide, sexual violence, and physical assault and related crimes were male. Just one in 50 suspected offenders in sexual violence crimes in 2018 was female. 84 suspected offenders for detected sexual violence crimes (19%) were aged under 18 when the crime took place."

Editor's Note:

Statistics relating to victims are for crimes reported to An Garda Síochána in 2019 and build on data published by the CSO last year. Statistics relating to suspected offenders have not been published before, and refer to crimes reported in 2018. Suspected offenders are persons who have been issued a sanction (e.g. charge, summons or caution) in respect of an offence. The publication of these new statistics has been made possible by the improvements in data governance introduced by An Garda Síochána during 2018, as highlighted in CSO’s recent Recorded Crime Detection 2018 statistical publication.

For further information:Statistics Under Reservation FAQs

For further information contact:

Sam Scriven (+353) 21 453 5276 or Caroline Barrett (+353) 21 453 5485

or email crime@cso.ie

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