Robbery and theft top helpline calls

Robbery, burglary and theft are still the country’s most common crimes, figures have confirmed.

More victims seek help with these offences (23%) than any other, according to the National Crime Victims Helpline.

A close second is assault (22%), followed by childhood sex abuse (19%) and the modern phenomenon of crimes of harassment (14%), the Helpline’s Annual Report for 2013 reveals.

“It’s hard to tell why harassment is so prominent in calls to our helpline, but it may be due to the housing situation,” said helpline co-ordinator Michele Puckhaber. “Neighbourhood harassment could be due to the fact that people have been less free to move — we see a really wide range of harassment in our calls. Social media has become a real venue for harassment — but in estates it’s mainly problems with groups of teenagers,” Ms Puckhaber said.

Almost twice as many females (63%) contacted the helpline for assistance, while Dublin was once again the location for almost half (45%) of all contacts. Cork (7%) was in second place, followed by Wicklow (6%).

The Crime Victims Helpline, established in 2005, is a confidential national helpline service providing information and support to victims of crime and people affected by crime. It is funded by the Commission for the Support of Victims of Crime as well as by individual donations.

Volunteers are trained to understand the effects of crime and provide emotional support to people trying to cope after being victimised. Volunteers are also trained in Garda and court procedures and provide information to callers who are attempting to navigate the criminal justice system.

The Crime Victims Helpline also serves as a gateway for victims to specialised services available to crime victims in Ireland and can liaise with these services, as well as with the gardaí, on behalf of victims

In all, there were over 5,000 contacts with victims of crime and those impacted by crime in 2013. There were 4,600 phone calls and over 400 contacts made over email and text.

The 400 contacts by email and text is a 10% increase from 2012.

Ms Puckhaber said: “Many people will deal with crime by talking with family and friends — for others independent assistance may be helpful. The Crime Victims Helpline provides crime victims with an opportunity to discuss their feelings in a confidential manner with a trained volunteer.”