Detection rates for most crimes steady in 2024
Detection rates for most crimes reported last year were equal to, or above, those recorded in 2023, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The CSO figures relate to crime incidents up to the end of 2024 that gardaí have marked as ‘detected’ by September 2025.
A crime can be marked as ‘detected’ when gardaí have identified at least one person responsible for committing the offence, and that person has been issued a charge or summons, a formal or informal caution, or a fixed-charge notice.
The 2024 figures show that, in nine of 14 crime categories, detection rates were equal to or ahead of those recorded 12 months earlier.
The biggest increase was in ‘offences against Government, justice procedures, and organisation of crime’, where the rate rose by seven points to 70%.
This category covers a range of offences – including organised-crime offences, offences committed in custody, and breaches of court or justice orders.
In contrast, the detection rate for homicides fell by seven points to 75%, while the 25% detection rate for attempts or threats to murder, assaults, harassments, and related offences was three points lower than the 2023 figure.
Sexual offences
The CSO says that, between 2018 and 2021, at least one-fifth of reported incidents of sexual offences led to a charge or summons sanction.
The share for those reported in subsequent years was lower – ranging from 17% in 2022 to 7% in 2024 – but would be expected to increase with time, according to the CSO.
The detection rate for fraud offences reported directly to gardaí by members of the public last year was 9%. The CSO says that this figure is not comparable with previous years.
The crime rate per 100,000 of the population in 2024 was highest in the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) for most offences, while the detection rate in the DMR was highest for five crime categories – including controlled-drug offences and offences linked to public order.
Fixed-charge notices for speeding decline
The CSO figures also show that gardaí issued 124,632 fixed-charge notices for speeding offences last year – down from 139,934 in 2023.
The statistics office notes that this number has been falling since 2020, when there were 160,811 notices issued.
The 52,952 fixed-charge notices issued for dangerous or careless driving and motorway offences, however, were up from 47,921 in 2023.
Notices for driving-licence or insurance offences also increased last year – from 18,429 in 2023 to 23,089.