Experience of Crime and Perceptions of Crime, Policing and Justice and Organised Crime: Findings from the 2024/25 Northern Ireland Safe Community Survey (NISCS).

Date published: 9 October 2026

An Official Statistics publication, the bulletin focuses on key modules contained within the NISCS relating to:

• experience of crime
• perceptions of crime
• perceptions of policing and justice
• perceptions of organised crime

Key Findings

• Results from the 2024/25 NISCS indicate that most adults/households did not experience a crime asked about in the survey.  Latest findings estimate 4.4% were victims of at least one crime measured through the survey during the 12 months prior to interview, similar to the 2023/24 rate of 4.5%.  An estimated 71,000 incidents of crime occurred during the 12-month recall periods for NISCS 2024/25.
• NISCS 2024/25 respondents were again more positive in their perception of crime trends in their local area than at the regional level.  Just under a quarter, 23%, believed local crime levels had increased in the preceding two years.  This compares with 68% considering crime in Northern Ireland as a whole to have risen, a proportion which is unchanged from 2023/24 (also 68%) but higher than in 2020/21, 55%.
• Findings indicate that 7% of participants perceived the level of anti-social behaviour (ASB) in their local area to be high, unchanged from 2023/24, also 7%.  None of the seven ASB strands considered showed a statistically significant change.  ‘People using or dealing drugs’ (28%) and ‘rubbish or litter lying around’ (26%) were most likely to be viewed as problems. 
• Around one-in-twelve (8%) respondents expressed a high level of worry about violent crime, with 7% very worried about becoming a victim of burglary.  Of vehicle owners, 5% were very worried about becoming a victim of car crime.  Rates for all three were similar to the previous year.
• For the effect of fear of crime on quality of life, the proportion reporting it had a minimal impact rose from 76% in 2023/24 to 79% in 2024/25.  There was an equivalent decrease in the moderate impact proportion, from 21% to 18% over the same period, with 3% reporting it has a great effect, unchanged from the previous year.
• Overall public confidence in the police and police accountability arrangements (based on a seven-strand composite measure) was 79% in 2024/25, similar to the 2023/24 figure of 80%.  Of the seven indicators that comprise this composite measure, only one, the Police Ombudsman helps the police do a good job, showed a statistically significant change when compared with 2023/24, falling from 89% to 86%.
• In terms of the local police, findings suggest that, in 2024/25, 52% rated their local police as doing an excellent or good job, unchanged from 2023/24, also 52%.  When asked about overall confidence in their local police, 66% felt that, when taking everything into account, they had confidence in the police in their area, down from 68% the previous year.
• With regards to community engagement, the proportion agreeing that the police and other agencies seek people’s views about ASB and crime issues that matter in their area was similar in 2023/24 and 2024/25 at 29% and 27% respectively, while the proportion who felt the issues were being dealt with fell from 37% to 33%.  Both engagement measures have been declining gradually over the last number of years and compare with 2020/21 rates of 42% and 50% respectively.
• When asked about the criminal justice system (CJS), the proportion of respondents who were very or fairly confident that the CJS as a whole in Northern Ireland is effective was 58% while the proportion considering it to be fair was 62%.  Both proportions were similar to those observed the previous year, 60% and 63% respectively. 
• One-in-five (20%) considered organised crime to be very or fairly widespread in their local area, a statistically significant increase from 17% in 2022/23.  Almost three-in-ten (28%) believed the level of organised crime had increased in their area over the previous 12 months, up from 22% in 2022/23.      When asked about the role members of the public, including themselves, can play in tackling organised crime, the most common response, given by 56% of respondents, was to report it to police or other law enforcement bodies.
• There was an increase in the proportion of respondents who felt paramilitary activity was widespread in their area, up from 11% in 2022/23 to 14% in 2024/25. 
• Almost half (48%) of respondents who considered that paramilitary activity occurs in their area felt the groups had either some or a lot of influence, rising from 40% the previous year. Of these, more than half (55%) described it as a 'negative' influence, while a further 27% felt the influence was 'more negative than positive‘.