Reporting a crime

If you are in Ireland and are a victim of a crime or witness a crime, you should contact the Garda Síochána (Irish police force). The emergency services telephone number is 999 or 112.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing or speech-impaired, you can report a crime by SMS text message on 112. You can find more about the emergency text service.

If it would make you more comfortable, you can request to speak to a male or female Garda.

If you do not speak English fluently, the Gardaí can provide free translation services to you.

In less urgent situations, you should contact your local Garda station to report a crime.

If you are unable to go to a Garda Station, you can ask that a Garda comes to your home to take a report.

You can report non-emergency incidents of dangerous driving and other traffic-related incidents using the Garda Traffic Watch Online Reporting form.

It helps the Gardaí if you give as much information as possible but you do not have to give your name when reporting a crime. If you wish to provide confidential information relating to crime or other activities, you can:

• Contact the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.

How to report child sex abuse to the Gardaí

The Gardaí operate a dedicated phone line for reporting child sexual abuse: 1800 555 22.

How to report a missing person

You can also find information on reporting a missing person.

How to report drug dealing

You can safely and confidentially pass on information about drug dealing by calling the  Garda Confidential freephone number 1800 666 111.

You will speak to a trained operator who will ask you for the information you have on drug dealing and nothing else. You will not be asked for your name.  Your phone number may be visible but it will not be traced or recorded.

The information gathered is passed on directly to the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) which assesses its usefulness. The GNDOCB passes relevant information on to the Gardaí in the specified area for investigation.

The Gardaí can use the information to build a case against a known drug dealer, to investigate new allegations of drug dealing activity in a community or to make an arrest.

Reporting a crime online

You can report certain thefts online using a declaration of theft of property form. The online form should only be used where the property stolen is worth less than €1,000.

You can make an online report if certain items are stolen using a declaration of theft of property form. The online form should only be used where the property stolen is worth less than €1,000.

You can find out more about staying safe online.

Reporting hate crime online

You can also report hate crime online. A hate crime is a criminal act that can be perceived as motivated by hostility or prejudice.

An investigation begins when a complaint is made to the Garda Síochána by a victim or other person.

If you are the victim of a crime, you will be asked to make a statement explaining, in detail, the incident that took place.

A Garda will write down your account and read it back to you. When you are happy that the statement accurately describes your complaint, you will be asked to sign it. The matter can then be investigated by the Gardaí.

You may bring somebody with you for support, including a legal representative (solicitor) when making a statement or for any interviews that follow this. The Gardaí may ask you to choose a different person or legal representative if they think it is in your best interest, or if they think the person you have chosen could interfere with the investigation. Read more about making a statement.

After reporting a crime, you should receive a letter from the  Garda Victim Service Office that provides you with the investigating Garda’s name and your case number. You also have a right to ask for a copy of your statement. In some cases, such as those involving sexual assault or domestic violence, a letter may not be sent but contact may be made in person.

You can get detailed information about  support services available to victims of crime, including information about compensation for victims of crime schemes.

The Crime Victims Helpline, a listening and support service for victims of crime, have produced a useful video outlining this process.

Reporting a crime that occurred in another country

If you were a victim of a crime in another country, you can report the crime to the Gardaí in Ireland.

The details of your complaint should then be forwarded by the Gardaí to the appropriate law enforcement agency in the country where the crime occurred.

A Garda investigation can involve a review of CCTV footage, the interviewing of witnesses and scene of crime investigations including checking for fingerprints. As part of the investigation, you may have to be interviewed or have a medical examination but all such interventions should be kept to a minimum.

If you are a victim, you have the right to ask the Gardaí to keep you informed about significant developments in the investigation. However, you are not entitled to any information that could interfere with the investigation or put anyone in danger.

If any property is taken from you as part of the investigation, you should get it back without delay, if possible. However, if it has to be used as evidence in a criminal trial, you might not get it back until the court case is finished.

Prosecution

A Garda file is gathered with all relevant evidence and, depending on the nature of the offence under investigation, it is sent to a senior Garda or to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for a decision on whether or not to prosecute the case in court.

For less serious crimes, such as public order offences, some traffic offences and minor assaults, the case is prosecuted by the Gardaí in the District Court.

For more serious crimes, the file is referred to the DPP who decides where and whether to prosecute or not. In these cases the prosecution is carried out by the office of the DPP, usually in the Circuit Court or Central Criminal Court.

Find out more about the  Director of Public Prosecution.

Sometimes the Gardaí can decide to stop investigating a crime without identifying a suspect – a person who they think committed the crime. If this happens and you are a victim, you have a right to ask for a summary of the reasons for this decision.

In other cases, the Gardaí or DPP can decide not to prosecute an identified suspect. If you are a victim, you have a right to ask for a summary of the reasons for this decision.

If you are a victim and you are notified of a decision not to prosecute, you must send a request for a review of the decision within 56 days of being notified.

If you are a victim and you get a summary of reasons for the decision, you must ask for a review of the decision within 28 days of getting the summary.

Read more about how to request reasons not to prosecute and reviews on the DPP website.

The Crime Victims Helpline has a comprehensive list of services and supports available for victims of crime, as well as detailed advice for coping with the impact of crime.

The DPP has a range of accessible handbooks that deal with the prosecution of criminal cases.

If you believe a member of An Garda Síochána may have committed a crime in the course of duty or a serious offence while off duty, you can also make a complaint to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission.