Fear of crime may often be linked to lack of facts about the true extent of a particular type of crime, or about the likelihood of becoming a victim, according to the chairman of the National Crime Council.
Mr Padraic White was speaking at the launch of the report, Crime in Ireland, commissioned from the Institute of Criminology in UCD. The report found that, while crime rose between 1950 and 1998, it reached a peak in the mid-1980s and has declined since.
The report makes a number of recommendations, including changes in the manner in which the Garda S∅ochβna records crime and Irish participation in the International Crime Victimisation Survey, which is carried out every four years.
The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, said he would give full and early consideration to these recommendations, in conjunction with the relevant State agencies.
Mr White said a recent survey showed that 95 per cent of people considered crime to be of concern, with 64 per cent stating they were "very concerned".
"This report and our recommendations seek to assist in the dissemination of facts about crime in a way that will provide a much greater understanding of the extent of the crime problem, and thus reduce the 'fear of crime', particularly for the more vulnerable in our society," he said.
Mr White pointed out that many crimes were not recorded in Garda statistics because the Garda was not the prosecuting authority. These included tax fraud and violations of health and safety legislation, which could result in injury or death.
"They scandalise more people than a lot of what are recorded as crimes," he said.
The Crime Council was launched last April by Mr O'Donoghue. It followed a report from the National Crime Forum, which had conducted State-wide hearings, and which concluded: "There is a dearth of relevant, up-to-date information on which to base judgments and decisions in the criminal justice area."
The brief of the National Crime Council is to develop a better public understanding of crime, its causes and its prevention.
The council has also commissioned research from UCD's Institute of Criminology on public order offences. It is preparing to carry out research on domestic violence using its own research team.
The council also has a website, which can be contacted at www.crimecouncil.ie.
The full text of the crime report is available at www.ireland.com.