Knife attacks blamed for rise in violent deaths

A major rise in the number of killings could be blamed on knife attacks, rather than gun crime, Gardaí claimed today.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) confirmed 84 people died violently last year, with murders and manslaughter up by more than a quarter on the previous year.

There was also a huge jump – of more than 60% – in recorded murder attempts and threats, while drugs offences rose sharply by almost 22%, according to the CSO report.

But while Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy said the increased murder rate represented a challenge for the force, he signalled that gun crime was on the decline.

“There is some cause for concern here and we have already started to analyse these figures to enable us to identify and address emerging challenges in the murder rate,” Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy conceded.

The figures come against a background of growing concern over gangland violence.

The latest gun attack left notorious Dublin criminal Martin Foley – known as The Viper – fighting for his life with gardai fearing reprisal attacks.

The 55-year-old remains in a critical condition at St James’ Hospital after being riddled with bullets as he walked out of a gym in the city on Saturday.

But Commissioner Murphy insisted the rising murder rate was not down to gangland violence, which he vowed to make a priority shortly after being appointed last November.

“While gun related and so-called gangland murders are down on previous years, we are experiencing an increase in the use of sharp objects including knives - accounting for nearly half of all murders,” he said.

“A high percentage of murders are occurring in private locations and this poses a particular challenge for the gardai and indeed the community as a whole.

“We will be working with other agencies to assess whether there are wider underlying issues which require something more than a policing response.”

The CSO report also showed reported cases of fraud last year rose significantly, by more than 38% on the previous year, while arson was up by more than 22%.

Sexual offences were down by 10%, robberies decreased by more than 12% while burglaries and assaults were also down slightly.

Commissioner Murphy said the increase in drug offences were a result of the high level of focus on the illegal trade by the force.

“We will continue to adopt a co-ordinated and determined multi-agency approach working closely with our colleagues in Customs to make our communities safer,” he said.