Most people remain satisfied with the service provided by the gardai but as many as 72 per cent of respondents to a new survey feel that improvements need to be made.
The 2008 Garda Public Attitudes Survey, which focuses on satisfaction with Garda service as well as policing
priorities and experiences and fear of crime, shows that 81 per cent of the population are satisfied with the
overall service provided to the community. This is the same percentage as in 2007. However, there were wide
disparancies with satisfaction rates ranging from 71 to 89 per cent within different Garda divisions.
Some 44 per cent of respondents said they had contact with the gardaí last year and Satisfaction with overall
contact with the Gardaí was 79 per cent.
According to the survey,72 per cent of respondents felt that the Garda service needed to be improved with the most frequent suggestions calling for greater manpower, more foot patrols, more contact with the community and longer station opening hours.
The study, which was conducted by Millward Brown IMS between January and April of this year, involved interviews with 10,000 individuals.
Some 91 per cent of respondents described Gardaí at their local station as either 'very approachable' or
'approachable'.
In addition, 82 per cent of respondents felt that the Gardaí did a good job in the locality, although satisfaction
rates were found to belower among local authority tenants compared with other housing tenure categories.
As many as 53 per cent of the public reported seeing a Garda in their locality in the previous week. Sixty-five per cent of respondents said they were satisfied with the level of Garda visibility in their locality, a rise of 3 per
cent on the preceding year.
On a divisional basis, ratings for how good a job the Gardaí do in the locality ranged from 73 per cent in Donegal to 93 per cent in Cork West
Responses about the relationship between the Gardaí and the community showed high degrees of confidence that anyone in Garda custody would have their rights fully respected, that the Gardaí would help if a person's rights were infringed and that the Gardaí carry out their role in a fair and impartial manner.
Commenting on the survey findings, Garda commissioner Fachtna Murphy said he was pleased that overall satisfaction with An Garda Síochána remains strong.
"It is important that individuals who seek our help and assistance receive a quality and professional service. At
the core of that service must be our ability to deal effectively with members of the public. While these survey
findings provide some reassurance that this is happening on a daily basis, there is no room for complacency and surveys such as this guide and inform us as we strive to provide an even better service into the future," he said.
According to the survey, crime victimisation rates were down slightly with 9.2 per cent of respondents saying that they or a member of their household had been a victim of crime in 2007, down by 0.6 per cent compared to 2006. The most prevalent crimes were domestic burglary, criminal damage to vehicle, physical assault, criminal damage to home or other property and theft from vehicle.
Over 80 per cent of those who had been victims of crime said they had reported the incident to the Gardai, a decline of 3 per cent on the preceding year. Of these, just 44 per cent expressed satisfaction with being kept informed of progress in the investigation.
With regard to perceptions of crime, one in four people said they were worried about being targeted by
criminals and 21 per cent of respondents said they felt less safe when out walking. In addition, a total of 89 per cent of individuals said they though crime is increasing, while 57 per cent described crime as a very serious problem.
Fine Gael said the survey findings showed that Fianna Fáil has failed to clamp down on crime despite election pledges to make people feel safer.
"This survey sends a very clear message to Justice Minister Dermot Ahern before Budget Day: people want greater Garda manpower, more foot patrols, more contact with the community and longer Garda station
opening hours. They also want a Government that is tough on criminals and tough on crime. That is why Minister Ahern must ensure that frontline Garda services are not slashed in tomorrow's Budget," said Fine Gael's Justice spokesman Charles Flanagan.
