Concern as serious crimes soar to 300-a-day

ALMOST 300 serious crimes were committed every day last year — 55 more daily than in 2001.

Figures released yesterday by Justice Minister Michael McDowell also show fewer crimes are being detected by gardaí, with more than six out of ten crimes going unsolved.

Mr McDowell described the statistics as "awful".

"I will make no bones about it; the news is not good. The figures are a matter of grave concern," he said.

However, Mr McDowell added the Government had adopted a firm strategy to combat crime.

"The gardaí will be given the resources to investigate crime, the courts will be given the resources to deal effectively with criminal cases, and there will be sufficient prison places to ensure that those convicted of crime will serve the sentences imposed on them by the courts."

The figures for serious crimes, now called headline offences, show a continuing rise in crimes of violence, including:

1,886 more assaults than in 2001;

1,208 more sexual offences;

40 more homicide offences.

According to the Garda Crime Statistics for 2002, 16 assaults and nine sexual offences took place every day last year.

Lillian McGovern of Victim Support expressed concern at the increase in assaults and sexual assaults.

"This trend is very worrying and requires immediate attention by the Government in ensuring that those affected by crime are given the necessary assistance in the immediate aftermath," she said.

Of the 3,147 sexual offences recorded in 2002:

sexual assaults rose by 56%;

gross indecency jumped by 215%;

buggery increased by 240%;

indecency rose by 147%;

and incest increased by 75%.

Breda Allen, chairperson of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, said the figure for sexual offences paralleled what they had recorded in 2002.

"We noticed a very large increase in recent rapes, between 20-40% increase month on month on 2001. That may be a combination of more offences and more reporting."

She said she hoped the increase in reporting would be carried through in terms of prosecutions and convictions.

The crime figures also show that child pornography offences jumped from 21 in 2001 to 124 in 2002 a rise of almost 500%.

In other crimes, larceny increased by 27%, fraud by 22% and other cases by 65%.

The report also shows that average detection rates, as a percentage of all crimes reported, fell from 41% in 2001 to 38% in 2002, with only 20% of burglaries detected.

Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne said figures for 2003 so far showed a small, but significant, fall in headline offences.