Most burglary and related offences outside of Dublin have been recorded in the eastern region last year, according to Recorded Crime Detection 2023 figures published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) today (Wednesday, November 27).
Of 2,390 burglary and related offences in the eastern region, which comprises counties Kildare, Kilkenny/Carlow, Wexford, Wicklow, Waterford, Laois/Offaly, Meath, and Westmeath, 462 were detected in 2023.
In comparison, 1,660 offences were recorded in the north western region – Donegal, Galway, Louth, Mayo, Roscommon/Longford, Sligo/Leitrim, and Cavan/Monaghan – of which 283 were detected, latest CSO figures show.
A crime may be marked as detected when An Garda Síochána have identified at least one person responsible for committing the offence, and that person has been issued a charge or summons, a formal or informal caution, or a fixed payment notice.
In 2023, there were 1,615 burglary and related offences recorded in the southern region, which comprises Clare, Tipperary, Cork City, Cork North, Cork West, Kerry, and Limerick. Of these crimes, 459 were detected.
In the Dublin Metropolitan region, 3,895 crimes were recorded in the ‘burglary and related offences’ category last year. Of these, 904 were detected by An Garda Síochána.
There were 4,648 controlled drug offences recorded in the eastern region, while 3,775 were detected. This compares to 3,782 recorded and 2,934 detected offences in the south, and 2,255 recorded and 1,512 detected offences in the north west.
The most crimes categorised as ‘damage to property and to the environment’, outside of Dublin, were recorded in the east at 4,834, followed by 4,663 in the south and 3,849 in the north west. Of these, 1,085, 905, and 906 were detected respectively.
In the Dublin Metropolitan region last year, 6,599 controlled drug offences were recorded, while 5,467 were detected. In the region, 9,097 offences listed as ‘damage to property and to the environment’ were recorded, of which 1,668 were detected.
CSO recorded crime detection
Recorded Crime Detection statistics published by the CSO provide a snapshot of the extent to which crime incidents reported to An Garda Síochána have been detected.
Recorded crime detection rates in 2023 were equal to or above 2022 rates for more than half of detected crime when measured at the same point in time, CSO statistician in the Crime and Criminal Justice Section, Jim Dalton said.
The statistics show that when measured in September 2024, the detection rates for crime incidents reported in 2023 were higher for four of the fourteen crime offence groups compared with 12 months earlier.
Detection rates for crimes nationwide reported in 2023, compared to 12 months earlier:
- Homicide and related offences up eight percentage points to 82%;
- Kidnapping and related offences up four percentage points to 33%
- Burglary and related offences up two percentage points to 22%;
- Offences against government, justice procedures and organisation of crime up two percentage points to 63%;
- Theft and related offences remained at 31%;
- Fraud, deception and related offences remained at 8%;
- Weapons and explosives offences remained at 71%;
- Damage to property and to the environment remained at 20%;
- Controlled drugs offences down four percentage points to 79%;
- Attempts/threats to murder, assaults, harassments and related offences down three percentage points to 28%;
- Robbery, extortion and hijacking offences down three percentage points to 23%.
The CSO measures detection rates eight months after the end of a particular year to ensure consistency in the measurement of detections over time.
The crime rate for the Dublin Metropolitan region was generally higher than other regions, but the rate of detection in 2023 was highest for just three of the fourteen offence groups, according to the CSO.
This region experienced a crime rate of 2,522 incidents per 100,000 people for theft and related offences, which was nearly twice the state average and more than three times as much as the north western region.
However, the detection rate at 26% for the Dublin Metropolitan region for this crime was the lowest. The crime rate for robbery, extortion and hijacking offences in Dublin was twice the state average of 49 incidents per 100,000 people.
The detection rate for the Dublin Metropolitan region for this offence group, however, was 24% compared with 26% for the eastern region and 25% for the southern region.