91% of people have a mid to high level of trust in An Garda Síochána, according to a new survey.

However, more than a third believe that community relations with gardaí are poor and 43% agreed that police are not dealing with the things that matter to people in their community.

The findings were released today as part of An Garda Síochána’s Public Attitudes Survey for the third quarter of this year.

It found that the victimisation rate fell to 5.5% during that period, down from 6.7% year-on-year.

18% of people said local crime was a serious or very serious problem compared to 71% when it comes to national crime.

Almost two thirds of people said that fear of crime has no impact on their quality of life. however, been decreasing in recent surveys.

The survey also found that 76% of respondents agreed that gardaí in their area can be relied upon to be there when you need them, and 81% said that they listen to the concerns of local people.

Commenting on the results, Deputy Commissioner, Policing and Security, John Twomey said: "The latest results from the Public Attitudes Survey contain many positives such as a reduction in the number of victims of crime, continuing high levels of trust in An Garda Síochána, and satisfaction with the service we provide to communities.

These are all important measures for us in ensuring we provide a policing and security service that protects and supports communities.

"It is clear from the survey that more work needs to be done in areas such as meeting the needs of local communities and ensuring victims are kept well informed. We will make improvements in those important areas,” he said.

The survey was conducted by Amárach Research on behalf of An Garda Síochána between July and September and covered a nationally representative sample of 1,500 people.

Digital Desk