Number of sexual offences rise by 11.7%, CSO figures report

There was a 11.7% overall increase in sexual offences, including a 17.4% increase in rape, and a 10.8% rise in non-aggravated sexual assault.

Crime is up among most categories - including robbery, sexual offences and drugs possession - according to new figures released by the Central Statistics Office.

However, the CSO has applied a ‘health warning’ to the recorded crime statistics due to the office’s ongoing concerns about the quality of the data it is receiving from gardaí.