PUBLIC SATISFACTION with An Garda Síochána remains high, according to a survey commissioned by the force, with an average of eight out of 10 people questioned saying they are either "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with the force's performance.
The Garda Public Attitude Survey, carried out for the Garda by Millward Brown IMS, has also revealed substantial pockets of dissatisfaction in some areas.
For example, some 29 per cent of people in the Waterford-Kilkenny division said they were either "dissatisfied" or "very dissatisfied" by the Garda's performance last year.
In the Limerick and Louth-Meath divisions dissatisfaction rates were next highest, at 25 per cent and 24 per cent respectively.
Some 9.2 per cent of respondents said they or a member of their household had fallen victim to crime in the previous year.
Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy expressed his satisfaction at the main findings that 82 per cent of respondents were satisfied with the Garda's performance, while 79 per cent of those who had recent dealings with gardaí were satisfied with that contact.
There was "no room for complacency" in ensuring the public got a quality and professional service from gardaí, he said.
The overall satisfaction rate of 82 per cent was the same as 2007.
The research is based on interviews with 10,000 people across the country between January and April. Satisfaction levels were up in 12 Garda divisions compared with 2007, and down in 13.
The highest satisfaction levels were recorded in the Sligo-Leitrim division, where 89 per cent of respondents were either satisfied or very satisfied with the force.
The research reveals that the chances of falling victim to crime significantly changes depending on where a person lives.
Respondents in the Mayo division reported least problems, with 2.3 per cent saying they or a member of their household fell victim to crime in the past year.
In the Dublin metropolitan region (DMR) south central division, some 19.3 per cent of people reported that either they or a member of their household fell victim to crime in the past year.