Robbery, hijacking & fraud in Ireland have risen since last year

Today, June 26, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has released their findings on Recorded Crime for the first quarter of 2024. 

The report found that crimes such as robbery, hijacking and fraud have risen compared to the same time period in 2023. 

Recorded crimes of homicide and sexual offences have dropped since this time last year. 

Recorded incidents of robbery, extortion and hijacking offences were up by 18% to 2,572 so far in 2024 compared to 2023. 

Crime incidents that involved weapons and explosives were up by 10%, while those involving theft and related offences increased by 9%.

More than 44% of these incidents of theft and related offences involved theft from shops.

Fraud, deception and other offences related to these crimes were also up as they rose by 9%. 

Some of the recorded crime incidents that decreased in 2024 compared to 2023 were sexual offences (-12%) and homicide and related offences (-8%).

While it was discovered that victims of attempts/threats to murder, assaults, harassments and other related offences fell by 2%, the number of male victims rose by 2%. The number of female victims was down by 9%.

Jim Dalton, Statistician in the Crime & Criminal Justice Section, has spoken out following the publication of the recorded crimes for the first quarter of the year. 

He said, “Recorded Crime statistics published today for January, February and March, (Q1) 2024 showed that Robbery, Weapons, Theft and Fraud crimes were up in the year to Q1 2024 compared with a year earlier”.

“Among those offence groups where the number of crime incidents fell were Offences against Government, Justice Procedures & Organisation of Crime (mainly Offences While in Custody and Breach of Court Orders), Sexual offences, and Homicide & Related offences”.