Irish police "in favor" of recording ethnicity of suspects

An Garda Síochána has told Extra.ie that it is "in favor" of recording the ethnicity of sex offenders, with Sinn Féin also calling on the Government to introduce such legislation.

A spokesman for the Department of Justice said the Programme for Government had committed to the introduction of a common identification number for individuals within the criminal justice system.

Following a widespread consultation with stakeholders in data, civil liberties, and criminal justice, it was decided that PPS [ Personal Public Service] numbers should be used for this purpose. To get a PPS number, you must note both your nationality and, if you were born abroad, your country of birth.

The justice spokesman said: "Using the PPSN would enable the Central Statistics Office to gather anonymized, disaggregated information on those interacting with the justice system. This would provide an invaluable source of data for research-informed policy decisions, including the production of anonymized statistics on special characteristics, including, for example, ethnicity."

He added: "Data can assist in identifying emerging trends and patterns that the criminal justice sector may need to respond to. Sharing a common identification number across the criminal justice sector would facilitate the accurate exchange of information, which could further enhance its ability to identify these emerging trends and patterns."

Last week Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin, a first-time Sinn Féin TD for Wicklow-Wexford, asked Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan if he was "prepared to follow the example of countries such as Sweden", and publish anonymized annual statistics on the nationality and immigration status of people convicted of sexual related offenses in Ireland.

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Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin, Sinn Féin TD for Wicklow-Wexford.

He said he wanted to do so in the interests of "transparency, objectivity and better-informed policy discussions".

In response Mr O’Callaghan said he was advised by the Garda authorities that when information on a person’s nationality is known, it is "generally recorded" on their PULSE system.

He also noted that An Garda Síochána is aligned with the current practice of the Central Statistics Office in "not publishing or compiling" crime statistics on the basis of nationality, ethnicity or citizenship.

However, when Extra.ie asked the CSO why this was the case, a spokesman said: "The Central Statistics Office does not receive information on citizenship, nationality or ethnicity from An Garda Síochána."

A spokesman for An Garda Síochána said it was in favor of being able to record the information fully but was currently legally precluded from doing so.

Labour’s Marie Sherlock said of the proposals: "As somebody who is an economist by training, I am a fan of all things data… But how people would use that data would be my concern. The key point here is we see the appalling allegations that are made by people that rapes and murders are conducted by foreign nationals.

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Labour’s Marie Sherlock.

"So it might put paid to some of those false narratives out there if we actually have the statistics. We should never be afraid of the truth."

Sinn Féin’s justice spokesman Matt Carthy said that while it was not official party policy, he agreed with the suggestion by his colleague Mr Ó Súilleabháin. He said: "I think the more information we have in relation to these matters, the better for public discourse."

Asked if there was a concern that the move could be construed as racist and used by bad faith actors, Mr Carthy said: "A lack of information also is what creates the vacuum that allows misinformation to spread."

In 2023, at the height of the debate on immigration in Ireland, the gardaí said there was no "significant increase in criminal activity or public order issues" directly caused by international protection applicants.

Gary Gannon, the Social Democrats deputy, said: "I’m not against the idea of releasing nationality statistics, but I don’t also understand how they would achieve better outcomes, and that is incumbent upon the Sinn Féin TD to explain why."

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Social Democrats' Gary Gannon.

Chief executive of Dublin Rape Crisis Center Rachel Morrogh said: "Any additional, up-to-date and accurate data in the fight against sexual violence is welcome.

"Our focus is on eliminating this epidemic and ensuring that victims have access to every support they need to heal."

While Sweden does not officially collect ethnicity data on its citizens, it does collect the place of birth of individuals and their parents. One 20-year-long study conducted in Sweden showed the odds of being convicted of rape were higher for individuals with an immigrant background across all models.

Another study, published in the Nordic Journal of Criminology in 2021, found that overall conviction rates in Sweden fell over the period 1973 to 2017 among both immigrant and non-immigrant groups, with the decline more pronounced among men than women.

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.