There has been a marked rise in reported fraud offences, gardaí have said, with online fraud in particular surging by more than 130% last year, reports RTE.
Provisional garda crime figures indicated reductions across most other serious crime categories, including robberies, thefts, and sexual offences, reports RTE.
The statistics also showed that more than 200 people were arrested and 250 criminal charges preferred every day in 2025.
These provisional figures form the basis of the official crime statistics from the Central Statistics Office, which are expected to be published next month, reports RTE.
Gardaí said they had warned in 2024 that reported fraud offences would rise due to financial institutions being required to report all cases of fraud.
They added that while crime fell in most categories, fraud cases surged by 137%, reports RTE.
The largest increases were recorded in deception (+273%), shopping (+183%), card (+95%), money laundering (+164%), and forgery offences (+160%).
Other rises included accommodation fraud (+17%), account takeovers (+10%), and bogus tradesman scams (+160%), while phishing and smishing (-11%), insurance fraud (-11%), and counterfeit notes and coins (+10%) declined, reports RTE.
Cybercrime incidents of harmful communications numbered nearly 750 last year, up from 600 in 2024, an increase of 27%.
Distribution of grossly offensive messages rose 68%, while people recording (+29%) and distribution of intimate images (+8%) also increased, reports RTE.
There were modest rises in arson attacks (+1%) and public order offences (+4%).
The largest drop was seen in robberies from shops and other establishments, down 23%, reports RTE.
Other reductions included thefts (-22%), robberies from individuals (-20%), violent burglaries (-14%), residential robberies (-16%), criminal damage (-10%), and thefts from cars and vans (-16%).
Gardaí said there were fewer than 14 burglaries per day across the 26 counties last year, equivalent to fewer than one residential burglary per county per day.
Car and bicycle thefts also fell slightly by 4%, reports RTE.
Gardaí attribute the decrease in property and retail crime to two specialist operations, Thor and Táirge, which target organised crime gangs involved in burglary and retail theft.
Despite a 12% rise in demonstrations, violent disorder, rioting, and affray offences dropped by 18%.
Rape and other sexual offences also fell by 12%, reports RTE.
Regarding gangland crime, drug dealing offences increased by 13%, while possession for personal use declined by 6%, reflecting garda focus on suppliers rather than users.
Weapons offences rose 6% but shootings fell by 3%, and the number of murders and manslaughters remained at 40, the same as in 2024.
No gangland murders were reported last year.
Assault causing harm declined slightly by 1% compared to 2024, reports RTE.
The Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau seized over €126m worth of drugs and €2.8m plus £0.27m in cash.
Additionally, the Dublin Crime Response Team confiscated another €21m in drugs and nearly €2.9m in cash and gold, reports RTE.
There were 54,000 road traffic collisions last year, almost 150 per day, a 4% increase, with 188 fatalities.
The number of drivers caught intoxicated remained similar to 2024 at 8,100, while car seizures increased by 4%.
Mobile phone use while driving rose 11.5%, with over 24,000 caught, and other offences including careless driving (+25%), illegal novice or provisional drivers (+11%), failure to wear seatbelts (+6.5%), driving in bus lanes (+16%), and in disabled bays (+15%) also increased, reports RTE.
Gardaí carried out more than 74,000 arrests last year, averaging over 200 per day, issued over 500 criminal summonses, and preferred over 250 criminal charges daily.
Over 6,200 adult cautions and 13,000 juvenile diversion referrals were processed in lieu of charges, with 35 juveniles referred to programmes each day, reports RTE.
While these figures are provisional, gardaí point to CSO data showing a 7% reduction in crime from 2019 to 2024, including the Covid lockdown period.
The CSO statistics indicate a sustained long-term decline in recorded crime, and according to the 2025 Global Peace Index, Ireland ranks second most peaceful in the world, after Iceland, reports RTE.
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