Drink-driving and violent offences surge while overall crime falls in latest CSO report

Sexual offences rose 17% (3,304 to 3,881), though gardaí and advocacy groups say this may reflect higher reporting rates

Many violent crimes – including sexual offences, attempted murders, threats to kill, and shootings – have risen in the past year, new figures show.

Some offences, such as murders, manslaughter, and robberies from the person, have fallen, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

The CSO also reported a rise in public order offences and a significant increase in drink-driving.

Overall, the CSO said 10 of 14 crime categories fell in the year to Q2 (end of June) 2025 compared with the year to Q2 2024.

Homicide offences fell by 42%, mainly due to a sharp fall in cases of dangerous driving causing death. The CSO cautioned, however, that this figure could be “reversed over time” as Garda investigations conclude. 

Murders increased slightly, from 33 to 35, while manslaughter cases dropped from seven to two.

Sexual offences rose by 17%, from 3,304 to 3,881. Gardaí and advocacy groups said this could partly reflect increased reporting.

Assaults were up 4% to 24,899, including a 19% rise in attempted murders (16 to 19) and a 16% rise in threats to kill or harm (1,856 to 2,145).

Dangerous acts overall dropped slightly, but drink-driving offences jumped by 24% to nearly 6,000. By contrast, drug-driving cases fell sharply by 62% to 703.

Kidnappings fell by 16%, mainly due to fewer false imprisonment cases, though child abductions rose by 41%.

Robberies dropped 14%, from 2,550 to 2,188, including a 17% fall in robberies from the person. However, carjackings rose by 21% and cash-in-transit robberies almost doubled, from four to seven.

Other categories showed mixed trends. Burglaries fell 7% and thefts declined by 2%, though thefts from retail outlets increased by 3%. Drug offences dropped slightly overall, but drug importation cases rose by 11% and supply offences were up 2%.

Weapons offences rose by 4%, including sharp increases in shootings and explosive incidents. Property crimes declined by 4%, though arson cases rose 23%. Public order incidents also increased, up 6% to more than 31,000.

Elsewhere, fraud offences reported by the public fell 6%, but the CSO stressed this does not include large volumes of suspected fraud referrals from the financial sector, as gardaí continue to clear a backlog.

It said this is because An Garda Síochána is continuing to work through a backlog in reports.

Looking at longer-term trends, the CSO said weapons offences have risen 19% since 2022. Robberies, while down in the past year, remain 14% higher than in 2022.

The number of people recorded as assault victims in Q2 2025 was 6,101, virtually unchanged from last year. However, the number of male victims aged 18–29 rose 11%.