As one social media user said, Ireland is now “one of most dangerous places in Europe”, after latest figures show that we have one of the highest violent assault statistics in the EU.
Many people on social media are querying what exactly Minister for Justice Helen McEntee is doing day to day to try and actually make Ireland a safe place to live.
Crime levels in Ireland remain moderate in comparison to other EU nations, but newly released data reveals the Republic has the fourth highest rate of violent assaults in the European Union, reports Breaking News.
Despite that, Ireland continues to have one of the lowest homicide rates in Europe.
Statistics from the European Commission on crime across all 27 EU countries in 2023 show that Ireland fares well against many western European nations in most categories, except for serious assaults, reports Breaking News.
There were over 5,700 cases of assault causing harm recorded in Ireland in 2023 – more than 400 fewer than in 2022.
Yet this figure places Ireland as having the fourth highest serious assault rate in the EU, affecting 108 out of every 100,000 people.
Only France, Belgium, and Germany recorded higher violent assault rates in 2023, reports Breaking News.
The latest EU-wide figures indicate that sexual violence crimes, including rape, along with crimes involving property like theft, burglary, and robbery, are all rising across mainland Europe.
The data is based on offences logged by police in each EU member state during 2023, reports Breaking News.
Eurostat, which compiled the statistics, pointed out that differences in national legislation, police reporting standards, and how crimes are recorded can influence cross-country comparisons.
Intentional homicides rose across the EU by 1.5 per cent, reaching 3,930 in 2023, with 11 out of the 27 EU countries reporting increases, reports Breaking News.
Ireland saw 34 homicides last year, down from 44 in 2022.
With a homicide rate of 0.64 per 100,000 people, Ireland ranked sixth lowest among the EU countries in 2023.
However, the new data also highlights a gender gap in fatal domestic violence, with 4.1 women per million killed by a family member or intimate partner in 2023, compared to 2.2 male victims per million, reports Breaking News.
“These figures highlight the persistent gender disparity in domestic and intimate partner homicides across the EU,” said a Eurostat spokesperson, reports Breaking News.
The report also shows that sexual violence offences, including rape, have been steadily increasing over the last decade, rising by nearly 80 per cent since 2013.
In total, around 244,000 sexual violence offences were recorded in 2023 across the EU – a year-on-year rise of 5.5 per cent, reports Breaking News.
Rape cases rose 7 per cent to reach 91,370 across the bloc.
Ireland recorded 1,004 rape offences in 2023 – 97 fewer than the year before.
The figures show that sexual violence offences affected 56 per 100,000 people in Ireland last year – ranking it eighth highest in the EU. Sweden topped the list with 193 per 100,000, while Hungary was lowest with 6 per 100,000, reports Breaking News.
The Eurostat spokesperson said the increase in recorded sexual violence may reflect improved awareness, which could lead to more people reporting such crimes.
The data also shows a rise in property crimes since the Covid-19 pandemic, reversing a downward trend seen from 2010 to 2021, reports Breaking News.
Ireland had the 10th highest theft rate in the EU in 2023, with 1,316 incidents per 100,000 population.
A total of over 69,350 thefts were reported in Ireland last year – an increase of about 7,000 from 2022, reports Breaking News.
Luxembourg, Sweden, and Denmark had the highest theft rates, while Cyprus had the lowest.
Although burglary cases in Ireland rose slightly by around 100 to reach 9,564 in 2023, the country ranked only 13th in the EU for burglary, with a rate of 181 per 100,000, reports Breaking News.
The EU countries with the highest burglary rates – over three times higher than Ireland’s – were Sweden, Austria, and Luxembourg.
In contrast, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Finland recorded the lowest burglary rates in the EU, reports Breaking News.
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