Crime statistics - Drugs threat shows no sign of abating

AS seen from the latest crime figures issued by the gardaí, Ireland’s drug problem shows no sign of abating.

Thankfully, there has been a spate of seizures, including Wednesday’s haul worth €11 million. But according to an international police yardstick, only 10% of drugs are normally intercepted. This means the recent hauls are the tip of an iceberg.

For the first time, the figures have come from the Central Statistics Office and so the public can look forward to more detailed analyses in future.

Significantly, sexual offences have fallen by 10%. But ominously so-called ‘tiger’ kidnappings of company personnel and their families in robberies are on the rise.

The public will welcome news that the overall incidence of serious crime is falling having risen earlier in the year. However, serious assaults are once more on the increase and that’s a worrying development.