THE RATE OF burglary in Ireland increased by almost 2,000 offences in the first nine months of 2015.

The latest crime figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) deliver mixed messages as to the rates of crime in Ireland.

28,407 burglaries and related offences were committed in the first nine months of this year, a 6% increase on the 26,747 recorded over the same period in 2014. 12,688 of those crimes were committed in the Dublin area.

Percentage change in specific offences, first nine months of year, 2014 vs 2015 CSO CSO

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The increased rate of such home invasions come in a year that has seen the spotlight turned on rural crime and the vulnerability of those living in isolated communities to gangs travelling from Ireland’s urban centres.

The growth in such burglary and related offences is “truly alarming” according to Eoin Dunne, managing director with PhoneWatch.

“We are urging all householders to remain vigilant, especially in the run up to Christmas, which is peak season for opportunist burglars,” said Dunne.

Other Offences

Unfortunately burglary is not the only category of crime to see a significant increase since 2014.

Sexual offences, including incidences of rape and sexual assault, increased by 14.1% to 2,262 for the first nine months of this year, an increase of 279.

Fraud and deception are also on the rise with 5,490 such offences recorded since the start of the year, an increase of 6.8%.

It’s not all bad news however.

Murder offences in Ireland have decreased by almost half so far in 2015. 54 homicides have been recorded so far this year, as opposed to 84 for the same period last year.

Robbery / Extortion decreased by 9.1% to 2,554 offences, while weapons and explosives-related crimes are down 7.3%.

Similarly drugs-related offences are on the slide with just 15,116 such crimes recorded this year, down from 15,766.

Number of crimes by region, 2014 vs 2015 CSO CSO

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As might be expected the number of offences committed overall in Dublin is more than twice the figure for any other region in the country.

99,149 crimes have been recorded in the capital so far this year, a 3.9% increase on the 95,437 seen at the same time last year.

All crime statistics are taken from official Garda records as reported by the CSO.

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