20% rise in reported sex offences in south region

There has been a 20% jump in sexual offences reported to gardaí in the southern region in the first three months of this year, figures show.

The sharp rise is at variance with the rest of the country, although caution has been expressed given the short timeframe.

Garda figures supplied to the Policing Authority show an overall decline in sex crimes in the first quarter of 2017, compared to the same period in 2016.