Previous CSO reviews had thrown up data quality concerns around the correct application of crime counting principles.
Accuracy
The CSO has also begun to assess the quality of statistics relating to crimes with a discriminatory motive and domestic abuse. The body said that necessary work is underway to improve the accuracy of recording in these areas.
The CSO said there had been a reduction in misclassification error and some improvement made in criminal incidents being recorded in a timely manner on PULSE.
Next month the CSO will publish statistics relating to the victims of serious crime incident types such as homicides, assaults and sexual offences.
The analysis will look at characteristics such as the sex and age of victims, the age when an offence first occurred and the time gap until it was reported.
Homicides
Homicides were down by 10.8% in 2018 when compared to the full year 2017.
There were significant decreases in property-related crime in 2018. Theft offences are down 3% and burglary offences down 11.5% year, giving a total of 4,400 fewer incidents across the year.
There was a 11.3% jump in robbery offences, representing 246 incidents.
Fraud, deception and related incidents jumped by 18.4% or almost 1000 extra reports of fraud.
Noting the decreases, Minister Flanagan pledged to keeping accelerated recruitment on track.
Recruits
Approximately 2,400 new recruits have attested since the re-opening of the Garda College in September 2014, including 200 earlier this month and 400 later this year.
Garda numbers now stand at just over 14,000 for the first time since 2011, an increase of over 1,000 since the end of 2016.
The 2019 policing budget of €1.76 billion represents an increase of over €100 million on the 2018 allocation.
Reported sexual offences are up 10.3%, however.
The minister said that the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) (Amendment) Act 2019 provides for stricter sentencing for repeat sexual offenders.
“In addition, three Divisional Protective Service Units (DPSUs) have been rolled out in 2018 In Louth, Dublin West and Cork City.
Risk
“These specialised garda units are tasked with improving services to victims, improving the investigation of sexual and domestic violence incidents, and identifying and managing risk.
“Units have been established in a further six divisions at the start of 2019, and it is intended to have one DPSU in each garda division by the end of this year,” the minister said.