Calls made to Crimestoppers, the crime-fighting freephone service, have increased by 19 per cent a week on average this year and arrests made as a result of information have also increased.
Crimestoppers received 11,000 calls during the first seven months of this year, bringing the total since the opening of the line in January 1998 to more than 22,000.
Arrests made as a result of information are 20 per cent ahead of last year's levels, with 22 prisoners taken in the first half of the year. According to the Crimestoppers report, crimes cleared up include those of aggravated burglary, handling stolen goods, possession of drugs, possession of firearms and malicious damage.
Drug-related calls now constitute more than half, at 51 per cent, of all actionable calls to the service.
Other types of crime reported include murder, robbery, assault, arson, sexual assault and fraud. The service is now receiving 350 calls a week.
Since January last year there have been about 50 actionable calls on murders, 40 on sexual offences and rape and 70 on handling of stolen goods.
The director of Crimestoppers, Mr Ciaran Conlon, said the figures were worked out on the average number of calls per week, and these had increased. Actionable calls could be anything from a small item of information to eliminating somebody from an inquiry.
"The sources of information are becoming more regular. People get a PIN number and can ring back and ask for the person they spoke to previously," he said.
The figures showed that more people were becoming aware of the service and trying to help. They wanted to get more people involved in helping the Garda. Campaigns such as SNAP, which targeted drug-related crime among younger people, have obviously increased the profile of the service to a new audience.
"With further campaigns planned during the year hopefully we can continue to spread the word. Crimestoppers is anonymous, it's free and is a new way of helping the gardai to tackle the criminals," Mr Conlon said.
The figures reflect an optimistic picture on crime levels in general. Provisional statistics issued last week showed crime rates fell by almost 8 per cent in the first six months of the year. This comes after a 16 per cent drop over the previous two years and if the trend continues will lead to the lowest annual rate of crime since 1980.
Overall, reported crimes dropped to 39,715 in the first six months, compared with 42,943, for the same period last year.
However, the figures also showed a dramatic increase in armed robberies during the first half of this year. The number of murders also went up from 17 to 20, reported rapes increased from 139 to 142, and aggravated burglaries not involving guns rose from 334 to 391.