Home > Recorded crime detection 2023.

Central Statistics Office. (2024) Recorded crime detection 2023. Cork: Central Statistics Office.

External website: https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p...


Overall, the initial crime detection rates for 2023 were at or above the initial 2022 rates for more than half of the crime offence groups. However, when the initial detection rates for crimes reported in 2022 were updated a year later, there were more notable increases in detection rates for some offence groups such as Kidnapping & Related offences, Homicide & Related offences, Sexual offences, and Controlled Drugs offences. The initial detection rate in 2023 was lower than in 2022 for Controlled Drugs offences (-4 percentage points), See Table 2.1 and Figure 2.1.

Detection rates for most crimes reported in 2022 increased over the year The data shows that the detection rate for crimes reported in 2022 increased for 11 out of the 14 crime offence groups in the twelve months to September 2024. The detection rate for Controlled Drugs offences was 89% in September 2024 an increase of 6 percentage points on 12 months earlier. Public Order & Other Social Code offences (83%) remained the same.

The detection rate for the Dublin Metropolitan Region was highest for Controlled Drugs offences at 83%, Weapons & Explosives offences (78%), and Offences against Government, Justice Procedures & Organisation of Crime (66%). The DMR also had the highest crime rates among the regions for these offence groups.

Figure 4.1 Proportion of crimes reported in 2017 - 2023 which have led to charge or summons by selected offence groups

In 2023, males were the suspected offender in just over nine out of ten (92%) of detected Sexual offence crime incidents. Males were also the suspected offender for around nine in ten detected crime incidents of:

  • Homicide & Related offences (91%)
  • Robbery, Extortion & Hijacking offences (90%)
  • Burglary & Related offences (90%)
  • Controlled Drugs offences (90%)
  • Weapons & Explosives offences (92%)

Furthermore, males were the suspected offender in about eight in ten detected crime incidents of:

  • Attempts/Threats to Murder, Assaults, Harassment & Related offences (80%)
  • Fraud, Deception & Related offences (80%)
  • Public Order & Other Social Code offences (83%)
  • Offences against Government, Justice Procedures & Organisation of Crime (84%).

Just over eight in ten (85%) suspected offenders of detected crime incidents of Controlled Drugs offences were aged 18-44 years when the incident took place.

Adult cautions were used in:

  • 10% of Controlled drug offences
  • 8% of Theft and Related offences
  • 8% of Public Order & Other Social Code offences
  • 7% of Attempts/Threats to Murder, Assaults, Harassments and Related offences.
  • 5% of Damage to Property & the Environment offences.
  • 1% of Fraud, Deception & Related offences.

Fixed charge notices or fixed penalty notices were only applied to 10% of suspected offenders of Public Order & Other Social Code offences and 8% of Dangerous or Negligent Acts incidents. See Table 5.3 and Figure 5.3.

Fixed Payment Notices issued for Public Order, Parking & Cycling (percentage change) - Public order offences and Drink driving offences.

Datasets related to this release:
RCD03: Recorded Crime incidents by detection status and Garda Region
RCD04: Recorded Crime incidents detection rates
RCD05: Recorded Crime incidents incident detection rates by Quarter
RCD06: Recorded Crime incidents and detections by Garda Region
RCD07: Proportion of crimes reported which have led to charge or summons
RCD08: Detected Recorded Crime by sex of suspected offenders
RCD09: Detected Recorded Crime by age of suspected offenders
RCD10: Suspected offenders of Recorded Crime by offence group and sanction type
RCD11: Fixed Payment Notices issued by An Garda Síochána by type of offence

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