Many forms of serious crime declined in the Republic last year, although sexual crimes, murders and threats to kill increased.
Recorded drug crime declined overall, driven by a drop in the number of people being caught with drugs for personal use, but the number of cases of drugs being imported has surged by 60 per cent.
That trend reflects a focus by the Garda in directing resources at major Irish and international crime gangs smuggling drugs into the State or using Ireland as a route into the UK or European markets.
There were 38 murders last year, an increase of three on 2023, though the murder rate was still far behind its peak in the modern era: 78 murders in 2007.
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The number of sexual crimes reported to the Garda increased by 8 per cent last year to 3,709 crimes, including a 3 per cent increase in rapes to 964 cases.
While burglaries recorded an increase in late summer and autumn last year, they reduced in the final three months of the year, resulting in a 2 per cent increase for the full year. The 9,744 burglary crimes recorded last year continues to reflect all-time lows experienced since the pandemic.
However, aggravated burglaries, where violence or the threat of violence is used, increased by 22 per cent last year, to 289 crimes.
The latest crime data for 2024 has been published by the Central Statistics Office, based on raw crime data supplied by the Garda.
Theft and related offences were up 3 per cent to 76,178, including a 6 per cent increase in shoplifting, to 33,271 crimes.
The data shows drugs offences declined by 7 per cent to 16,119 crimes, although drugs importations increased by 59 per cent to 86 cases.
Weapons and explosives offences were up by 5 per cent, while the crime of ‘discharging a firearm’ increased by 29 per cent to 108 cases. This is despite gangland feuding having plummeted in recent years.
Arson attacks were up by 14 per cent to 1,752 cases, while public order crimes increased by 5 per cent to 30,388 crimes.
The number of cases of driving while intoxicated - including drugs and alcohol - was flat last year. Drink driving marginally decreased, by a fraction of one per cent, to 5,036 cases while drug driving was down by 1 per cent, to 1,697 cases.
Human trafficking offences recorded by the Garda were down 29 per cent to 15 cases, while the crime of “abduction of a person under 16 years” increased by 85 per cent to 37 cases last year compared to 20 cases in 2023.
