Govt reveals new crime figures

The Government has reported a 3% decrease in the number of reported crimes in the first nine months of this year compared with the same period last year.

But figures for the third quarter of the year show a marked rise in crime on last year.

The Department of Justice said the number of serious assaults reported between January and September was down 26% compared to the same nine-month period last year.

The number of aggravated sexual assaults fell by 58%.

The number of murders and rapes in the period was also down on the figures for the first nine months of 2002.

However, when the figures for the third quarter of this year are compared with the same period last year they show a 42% rise in reported sexual assaults and other significant rises in reported thefts and burglaries.