CSO crime figures - No room for complacency

Crime figures issued by the Central Statistics Office yesterday show a huge drop of 64% in the number of murders in the second quarter of this year compared with the same period last year.

They are down from 22 to 8. Sexual offences, including rape, were down by 14%, and public order offences were also down.

The declining figures must be welcomed, but using percentages in relation to such small figures can be very misleading. For the year as a whole the murder rate fell from 68 to 64, or 6%, which probably represents a more realistic figure. Some of the other figures are very disturbing. The number of robberies jumped by 19% in the second quarter of this year, and the number of hijackings went up from 6 to 33. This may be a small number, but it shows an alarming trend.

There was also a very substantial rise in the number of drug offences, with more than 5,600 recorded drug offences in the past three months, which amounted to a 15% increase in the second quarter. The greater number of detections should, of course, be warmly welcomed.

Looking at the crime figures as a whole, however, there is no room for complacency.