How to Report a Crime in Ireland

Almost never. There is no general online crime reporting service in Ireland. An Garda Síochána's own reporting FAQs give two routes for reporting a crime: 999 or 112 in an emergency, and, in its words, “To report non emergency crime you can contact your local or any Garda Station.”

One narrow exception exists. You can declare the theft of property worth €1,000 or less through a form on garda.ie. Nothing else is reportable online.

The Declare a Theft form on garda.ie states its own limit: “This form is only to be used for declaring the theft of property not exceeding the value of €1,000 in Ireland.” A declaration is not the end of the matter — the form says declarations are “subject to verification by a member of An Garda Síochána.”

For a crime that is over and not urgent, garda.ie says to “contact your local or any Garda Station”. Any station — not only the one nearest where it happened.

Ireland has no national non-emergency number for An Garda Síochána. Its Contact Us page publishes three numbers: 999/112 for emergencies, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, and Garda Headquarters on +353 1 666 0000, which is an administrative number rather than a reporting line. Everything else is directed to the station directory, which searches by division or by station name and shows results as a map or a list with each station's contact details.

garda.ie: “You can give information relating to crime or other activities confidentially to a Garda Confidential Number 1800 666 111.”

Know what that does and does not get you. It is a line for passing information to Gardaí. It is not the same as making a report as a victim: the signed statement, and the letter afterwards naming the investigating Garda and giving the PULSE incident number, are what garda.ie describes under reporting a crime at a station, not under the Confidential Number. If you are the victim and you want the crime recorded and investigated, make the report at a station.

garda.ie sets out what Gardaí will ask of you, whether you are the victim or a witness:

• •as much information as you can give about the offence
• •any concerns you have about your own or your family's safety, so they can advise you
• •your full address and contact details, so they can update you on the investigation
• •any later change — further losses or damage you notice, or further effects of an injury

Then, in garda.ie's words: “The investigating Garda will ask you to make a statement which s/he will write down and get you to sign.”

The route is the same, and it is not online. garda.ie's fraud pages say “Incidents of fraud occurring in this jurisdiction should be reported to your local Garda station who can investigate the matter on your behalf.” There is no separate public portal for fraud, scams or cybercrime.

If money has moved, do not wait until you get to a station to deal with your bank. garda.ie: “If you think that you have been a victim of fraud and your bank account has been used or compromised in any way you should report the matter immediately to your bank or financial institution to minimise any financial loss to you.”

An Garda Síochána runs Garda Victim Service Offices around the country. Its reporting FAQs give their hours as 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, and its office finder lists an address, phone number and email address for each one.

The Crime Victims Helpline is the number that appears in the letter after you report. It publishes freephone 116 006 and a text line on 085 133 7711, open 10am to 7.30pm Monday to Thursday, 10am to 5pm on Friday, and 2pm to 4pm on Saturdays and bank holidays. It is closed on Sundays.