19% rise in murders this year
24/10/2007 - 11:59:50The number of murders in Ireland has risen sharply over the past year, according to the latest crime statistics from the CSO.
The figures show there were 67 murders to the end of September this year, compared with 56 in the same period last year, an increase of 19%.
Attempted murders were also up by almost 50%, but manslaughter was down by 72%.
Elsewhere, aggravated sexual assaults were up 110%, but reported rapes and sexual assaults were down by 11% each.
Drugs offences were also up by 30%, while burglaries dropped by almost 11% and dangerous driving causing death or serious bodily harm was down by 25%.
Overall, the number of headline crimes recorded by the gardaí has remained roughly static since 2006.
