Gardai are planning a national strategy based on new research to tackle the continuing rise in reported rapes, with a 13 per cent increase last year following a 40 per cent increase in 1997.
The upward trend in rapes has also continued during the first six months of this year, but at a slower rate. There were 142 rapes reported up to the end of June, an increase of 2 per cent on the same period in 1998.
The research on rape being undertaken at the Garda College in Templemore, Co Tipperary, will provide a study of the perpetrators of the crime and an analysis of crime patterns, motives and contributory factors.
Supt John Farrelly said this information would provide the basis for devising a strategic approach top dealing with the crime. A similar research-based strategy was adopted by gardai to tackle Dublin's heroin problem.
This resulted in Operation Dochas, which has been running for the last three years and involves community co-operation with the Garda in driving out drug-pushers, he said. The number of rape cases reported last year had been inflated by including some cases which occurred in previous years but were reported last year, Supt Farrelly said.
The rise in reported rape cases, compares to an otherwise downward trend in reported crime last year. Overall, the number of crimes reported to gardai fell 6 per cent, and this follows a 10 per cent drop last year. Provisional crime statistics for the first six months of this year are down 8 per cent.
The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr O'Donoghue, noted that the overall level of sexual offences last year fell by 2 per cent and that the 13 per cent increase in rape last year was significantly lower than the 40 per cent rise in 1997.
However, he said any increase in this "terrible crime" had to be deplored.
Mr O'Donoghue said the 85,627 crimes reported last year were on a par with 1987 crime levels. "The Government's policies to tackle crime and social exclusion, together with effective policing, continue to yield excellent results," he said.
The 1998 Garda report showed that non-sexual offences against the person were down 19 per cent, while offences against property dropped by 8 per cent and larcenies by 5 per cent.
The Garda report notes that the Garda detection rate increased from 43 per cent to 44 per cent.
By international standards, this was a high figure and was ample evidence of the dedication and professionalism of the Garda, Mr O'Donoghue said.
The Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, said the increased detection rate was welcome, but he recognised that improved statistics were little consolation to individual victims or communities experiencing an increase in criminal behaviour.
Criminal proceedings had been started in 26 of the 38 murders last year, and in all of five attempted murders. Of the 292 cases of rape of females, criminal proceedings had begun in 108 cases.