Gardaí solve one out of every three reported crimes

OVERALL serious crime declined by 4% last year, although detection rates also fell - with just over one in three reported crimes solved, according to official garda statistics.

Almost 99,000 serious offences were recorded in 2004 as crime declined across most categories including homicide, sexual assault, drugs and theft. The level of violent crime, however, has continued to rise dramatically.

The number of robberies and aggravated burglaries involving the use of firearms reached a record high, since 2000, with 428 offences recorded last year an increase of almost 37% on 2003.