The Central Statistics Office has found that the way gardaí record crime statistics has improved considerably but that better accuracy and more comprehensive recording is still required in some areas.
The CSO says there has been a marked reduction in non-recording of reported crime on the PULSE database and a reduction in misclassification errors.
There has it says also been improvements in the recording of crime in a timely manner and the recording of incidents subsequently marked invalid
However the CSO also says there is a risk of over-counting and under-counting crimes.
It highlights shortcomings in An Garda Siochana's recording of the motive or circumstances behind certain crimes such as domestic abuse or crimes with a discriminatory motive, and the relationship between victim and offender.
The CSO says it continues to have ongoing concerns regarding the quality of the underlying data used to compile the crime statistics and has been publishing the recorded crime figures "under reservation" since March of this year.
