One in five women worry about being attacked by a stranger

More than seven out of 10 people said having more gardaí on the streets would make them feel safer.

Almost a fifth of females are worried about being attacked by a stranger or mugged — almost twice the fear level of men, according to a government survey.

More than seven out of 10 people said having more gardaí on the streets would make them feel safer. Almost half said more public lighting would assist and a third said the availability of good local mental health services would help.

The survey, commissioned by the Department of Justice, found that around half of all respondents said the use and sale of drugs was a problem in their area — but the figure rose to almost six out of 10 for those living in disadvantaged areas.

The department’s first ever Criminal Justice Public Attitudes Survey was conducted in November and December 2021 among a sample of just over 1,500 adults across Ireland.

In relation to perceptions, the survey found:

• 50% of females felt “vulnerable” to crime outside, compared to 40% of males – and only 27% of women stated they did not feel vulnerable to crime at all, compared to 39% of men;
• 19% of females said they worry about being physically attacked by a stranger, compared to 11% of men;
• 18% of women said they worry about being mugged/robbed (11% among men); 
• The survey said people who had already been victims of crime had higher levels of fear, than those who were not victims, of experiencing further crime: burglary (28% v 16%); mugged/robbed (23% v 15%) and being assaulted (22% v 15%).

Almost a fifth of all those surveyed said they had been a victim of crime, but this was highest in Dublin (30%) and in affluent areas (36%).

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One in 10 was a victim of online crime/fraud, including online financial fraud and phishing scams.

Fears of certain crimes were higher in disadvantaged areas, compared to affluent ones: burglary (20% v 12%); car stolen/broken into (17% v 12%); mugged/robbed (12% v 11%) or attacked by a stranger (16% v 9%).

Fear levels were the same in Munster as in Dublin for car stolen/broken into (19%) and being mugged/robbed (16%).

Fear of burglary was higher in Dublin (16% v 20%), but fear of being assaulted by a stranger was higher in Munster (18% v 15%).

Drug dealing

People using or dealing drugs was by far the biggest local problem cited by respondents (51%), followed by burglary (39%), with drink-fuelled behavioural problems next (34%). The levels were highest in Dublin and in disadvantaged areas.

Some 55% agreed that gardaí were regularly seen in their local area, with 31% disagreeing.

Asked what factors would make them feel safer in the community, respondents said: More gardaí (72%); local neighbourhood watch (43%); easy access to gardaí to report crime (34%); good local mental health services (32%); evidence in local area of crimes being detected (30%); local employment opportunities (30%) and organised activities for local young people (28%).

Overall, 45% of respondents said they had confidence in the effectiveness of the criminal justice system, with confidence lower for previous victims of crime (37%) and those from more disadvantaged areas (32%).

Over three in five (63%) had confidence in the effectiveness of An Garda Síochána in solving crime, but just over half (54%) had confidence in crime prevention abilities.