Serious crime rose by almost 2 per cent last year, with gun crime, drug offences, murder and murder threats all increasing to record levels, according to the latest Central Statistics Office figures.
The number of murders and manslaughters rose to 84 cases, with stabbing murders significantly increasing, from 18 to 36 cases. Gun murders decreased from 26 cases in 2006 to 18 last year.
Burglaries, which account for almost a quarter of all offences, dropped by 5 per cent to just under 23,000 cases. There were also falls in reported rapes, sexual assaults, robberies of cash and goods in transit and thefts from the person. However, thefts from vehicles and shops, fraud, deception and drugs offences all rose significantly in the final quarter, driving the overall 1.7 per cent increase in headline, or serious, crime for the year, to 104,946 offences.
Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy said An Garda Síochána would continue to fight crime using intelligence from the community.
He said the increased murder rate was a "cause for concern", adding that although gun killings were down, fatal stabbings had significantly increased. Many stabbings were occurring in private residences, which posed difficulties for the Garda.
"We will be working with other agencies to assess whether there are wider underlying issues which require something more than a policing response," he said.
He attributed the increase in the detection of drug offences to the high levels of Garda activity in the fight against drugs.
Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan said "while each crime is a crime too many", the overall increase must be seen in the context of Ireland's increased population.
While homicides had increased, the detection rate for murder was 68 per cent last year, while all manslaughters had been solved.
He commended the force for the reduced numbers of gun murders and said a publicity campaign on knife crime was planned following the increase in fatal stabbings.
"We have to get the message across that carrying knives not only carries heavy penalties but can lead to disastrous consequences."
Mr Lenihan said there remained "complex" issues in relation to the willingness of sex crime victims to report attacks to gardaí. Nevertheless, he welcomed the 10.7 per cent decrease in recorded sexual offences last year.
He had been informed by Mr Murphy that the Garda's assistant commissioners were putting in place crime prevention measures to tackle the growing number of thefts from vehicles and shops.
The overall rise of 1.7 per cent in total headline crime was driven by increases in a small number of mainly non-violent crime categories that traditionally account for about half of all crime. These include: theft from vehicles, up 9 per cent to 14,709 cases; theft from shops, up 2 per cent to 18,859 cases; arson, up 22 per cent to 1,998 cases; possession of drugs for sale, up 20 per cent to 3,620 cases; deception, up 35 per cent to 3,209 cases; forgery, up 48 per cent to 2,127 cases; child abandonment or neglect, up 87 per cent to 566 cases.
Total drug offences rose by 22 per cent last year, from 3,632 cases in 2006 to 4,423 cases last year.
The largest percentage increase in the drugs area was recorded in the category of "cultivation, manufacture or importation", which increased by 59 per cent to 214 cases. This follows increased drug searches by both the Garda and Revenue's Customs and Excise service at ports and airports.