The Department of Justice has published findings from the 2017/18 Northern Ireland Crime Survey (NICS), which asked people in Northern Ireland about their perceptions of crime.

The three factors most commonly identified by respondents as major causes of crime were drugs (80 per cent), alcohol (60 per cent) and a lack of discipline from parents (53 per cent).

When asked which single factor they considered to be the main cause of crime, the most common responses were drugs (39 per cent) and a lack of discipline from parents (17 per cent).

Nearly two-thirds (60 per cent) of respondents thought crime levels in Northern Ireland had increased in the past two years, while only 10 per cent thought they had decreased.

Nine per cent of respondents thought there was a high level of anti-social behaviour in their local area, comparable to the 10 per cent figure for England and Wales.

Despite a lower prevalence of crime in Northern Ireland than in England and Wales, the proportion of NICS respondents expressing high levels of worry were similar.

For the crime types examined, the vast majority of NICS 2017/18 respondents believed it unlikely that they would fall victim during the coming year. Overall, 11 per cent of respondents thought it was likely that they would be the victim of burglary, nine per cent believed they would experience some form of vehicle-related theft, while five per cent perceived themselves to be at risk of violent crime.

At 74 per cent, the majority of NICS 2017/18 respondents felt that “fear of crime” has a minimal impact on their quality of life. A further 22 per cent claimed it has a moderate effect, while the remaining four per cent stated their quality of life is greatly affected by their “fear of crime”.