Drugs and fraud offences represent the most significant increases in crime levels since last year, according to statistics released today by the Garda and the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The numbers of incidents of assaults, arsons, drugs offences, robberies and fraud increased in the twelve months to the end of the first quarter of this year, with the largest increases seen in drugs offences and fraud.
Headline crime saw a reduction of 5.6 per cent in the first quarter and 2.2 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2006.
Overall, drugs offences were up by 22 per cent in the twelve month period and offences of possession of drugs for sale or supply rose by 20.6 per cent, or by 545, offences in the same twelve month period.
Michael McDowell
There were 5,124 fraud incidents recorded in the twelve month period ending in the first quarter of this year. This is a rise of 22.5 per cent on the same period last year.
Sexual offences in the first quarter saw a significant drop on this time last year with a drop of 44.5 per cent in the first quarter and a 16.6 per cent decrease in the twelve month period. In the first quarter of 2006 there were a reported 393 incidents of sexual assault, while for the same period this year the number was 191.
The number of aggravated sexual assaults saw a similar drop, with recorded incidents decreasing from six to two in the same period. The number of recorded female rape incidents also fell, with 311 reported incidents in the twelve month period ending in the first quarter of 2007, as opposed to 386 to the same period last year.
The numbers of recorded incidents of murder and manslaughter fell slightly from 67 in the previous twelve month period to 62 this year. In the first quarter of 2007 there were 10 such incidents recorded, as opposed to 14 for the same time in 2006. The number of abductions taking place in the first quarter of this year increased by 50 per cent to nine reported incidents from six for the same period last year.
Michael McDowell
While offences categorised as theft, burglary and fraud represented 85 per cent of headline crime recorded by gardaí in the first quarter of this year, there was decrease in offences of 5.9 per cent from the same time last year. The number of incidents of theft from a person fell by 19.8 per cent over twelve months, while the number of theft from shops increased marginally.
Tánaiste and Minister for Justice Michael McDowell said in response to Garda figures that "the combination of stringent legislation, unprecedented resources for An Garda Síochána and the energetic and focused operations of a fundamentally reformed Garda force are bringing about the positive developments in crime levels which CSO have documented in this and previous quarters.
"It is vitally important that we continue to build on the successes which have been achieved. The Criminal Justice Bill, when enacted, will be central to that strategy," he said.
"The figures for the first quarter of 2007 confirm the positive trend which became evident in the second half of 2006. The reduction in headline crime of 5.6 per cent in the first quarter, compared with the same quarter in 2006, follows reductions of 2.3 per cent and 1.2 per cent in the fourth and third quarters respectively of 2006.
"As a result of this positive trend, there was a decrease of 2.2 per cent in the year-on-year figure at the end of the first quarter. The Garda Commissioner and the front line members of the Force are to be commended for these results," the Minister added.