People are less happy with the work of the Garda than they were five years ago, according to Central Statistic Office figures released today.
In 1998, 18.5 per cent of people surveyed rated the work of the Garda as being "very good" compared to only 13.6 per cent in 2003. Those rating the work of the force as being "poor" rose from 6.8 per cent in 1998 to 8.2 per cent in 2003.
Almost 19 per cent of women surveyed in 1998 rated the service the Garda provided as being "very good" compared to 13.7 per cent in 2003. Men also expressed declining satisfaction with the force, with only 13.5 per cent rating their work as "very good" in 2003 compared to 18.3 per cent in 1998.
Older people are more likely to be happy with the force with almost two thirds of over-65s rating them as either "good" or "very good" compared with just 47 per cent of those aged between 18 and 24.
People living in Dublin are the least satisfied, with one in seven people rating the Garda as either "poor" or "very poor". People who have been victims of crime agree, with one in four expressing dissatisfaction.
The amount of crimes reported to the Garda has also declined since 1998. In that year, 78.4 per cent of burglaries were reported compared to 70 per cent in 2003. The reporting rate for physical assaults has also declined with only 51.3 per cent of incidents being reported in 2003 compared to 57.2 per cent in 1998.
Car theft is the most likely crime to be reported, with over 90 per cent of incidents being reported. By contrast, less than 39 per cent of vandalism cases are reported.