Recorded Crime Q3 2022

Most categories of recorded crime increased in the year to Q3 2022, but the largest increase was in Theft and Related offences.

There were 62,546 Theft and Related offences in the year to Q3 2022 recorded on An Garda Síochána’s PULSE database, an increase of 39% or 17,404 compared with the same period in 2021. See Figure 2.1 and Table 2.1.

Among the other categories, the highest rates of increase were for Kidnapping & Related offences (+29% or +39) and incidents of Attempts/Threats to Murder, Assaults, Harassments & Related offences which were up by 20% or 3,902. Burglary and Related offences increased by 18% or 1,523 while Robbery, Extortion and Hijacking offences were up by 17% or 293. Sexual offences were up 6% or 193. See Figure 2.1 and Table 2.1.

In contrast, there were decreases in Controlled Drug offences (-19% or -4,034) and to a much lesser extent Weapons and Explosives offences (-1% or -28). See Figure 2.1 and Table 2.1.

It should be noted that the crime figures for 2020 and 2021 for some crime categories are likely to have been influenced by the public health restrictions that were imposed as a result of COVID-19.

In September 2020 the CSO introduced two new tables (Tables 2.2 and 5.1) in the Recorded Crime quarterly publication. They illustrate the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on Recorded Crime Statistics by comparing data for the most recent quarter with the same quarter one year earlier. These tables are also included for Q3 2022.

Fraud Crime fell by 38% in Q3 2022

There were 2,602 recorded incidents of Fraud, Deception and Related offences in Q3 2022, and this was down by 38% or 1,612 from a year earlier. This was largely driven by a fall in unauthorised transactions and attempts to obtain personal or banking information online or by phone. See Figure 2.2 and Table 2.2.

There were however increases in 11 of the 13 remaining categories of recorded crime in Q3 2022 compared to a year ago. The highest rates of increase were in Homicide (+89% or +8), Theft & Related offences (+43% or +5,534), Controlled Drug offences (+17% or +732) and Robbery, Extortion & Hijacking offences (+13% or +61). See Figure 2.2 and Table 2.2.

Kidnapping and Related offences, while having much smaller volumes that most other crime categories, were down 7% or 3 incidents, while Dangerous or Negligent Acts were down by just 2% or 45 incidents.

Robbery, Theft and Fraud crimes now closer to or above pre-pandemic levels

Table 2.3 provides further breakdown by offence type of the total number of recorded crime incidents in the 12 months to September 2022 compared with the corresponding period for earlier years. Data for 2020 and 2021 are likely to have been impacted by public health restrictions in place at the time due to COVID-19, and we can see from the data that crime levels are closer to or above pre-pandemic levels again for some crime types. See Figure 2.3 and Table 2.3.

The number of recorded crime incidents for Robbery, Extortion and Hijacking offences fell from 2,473 in 2018 to 1,682 in 2021 before rising to 1,975 in the year to Q3 2022. See Figure 2.3 and Table 2.3.

Incidents of Theft and Related offences, while increasing slightly to nearly 69,000 between 2018 and 2019, fell to 56,666 in 2020 and to 45,142 in 2021. In the year to Q3 2022, the number of recorded incidents increased again to 62,546. See Figure 2.3 and Table 2.3.

By contrast, the number of incidents of Fraud, Deception & Related offences has been increasing every year since 2018. The biggest increase occurred between 2020 and 2021 where the number of incidents increased by 71% to 13,597. There were 14,655 recorded incidents of Fraud, Deception and Related offences in the year to Q3 2022 and this was nearly twice the level for the same period in 2019. See Figure 2.3 and Table 2.3.

Homicide & Related offences have declined each year from 2018 to 2021 when there were 51 such offences recorded. In the year to Q3 2022, the number of Homicide offences rose to 57. See Figure 2.3 and Table 2.3.

The number of recorded incidents of Burglary and Related offences also fell between 2018 and 2021 but rose again in 2022. There were 17,691 recorded incidents in 2018 and this had fallen by over a half to 8,362 by 2021 due to the likely effects of COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time. The number of incidents increased to 9,895 in 2022 but was still below pre-COVID-19 levels. See Figure 2.3 and Table 2.3.