Eoin Hayes (Dublin Bay South, Social Democrats)
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122. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of reported attacks, knife attacks, and thefts that have been logged by the Garda across Dublin city, by district from 2020 to date in 2025, on a quarterly basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52287/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I strongly condemn the use of knives to threaten, intimidate or harm others. The Government is committed to ensuring that the problems that we have seen in neighbouring jurisdictions do not repeat themselves here.

There is already a comprehensive and robust legal framework in place in Ireland with respect to knife crime. Increased sentences were introduced last year for certain offences under the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990. These include the maximum penalty for the offences of possession of a knife, trespassing with a knife, and producing a knife to unlawfully intimidate another person, increasing from 5 to 7 years imprisonment.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical agency, is responsible for the compilation and publication of all crime statistics.

The CSO produces crime statistics using data recorded on An Garda Síochána’s PULSE system and makes regular releases in relation to various crime statistics. The most recent statistics were released on 24 September 2025.

Datasets providing figures on recorded crime incidents by Garda Station/Division, by offence type and by year/quarter are available on the CSO website at the following link: data.cso.ie/table/CJQ06

It should be noted that 'knife crime' or 'knife attacks' have no one specific classification in crime statistics compiled by An Garda Síochána and published by the Central Statistics Office. This is because knives may be used in the commission of several different types of offence, ranging from threats and intimidation, robbery and aggravated burglary to serious assaults and murder.

An Garda Síochána has carried out an analysis of Knife Related Crime over the 10-year period 2015-2024, which was published in August this year.

The report notes a 35% reduction in robberies using a knife in street/open spaces over the 5-year period 2020-2024 compared to 2015-2019.

Information is available from the Garda website at:

www.garda.ie/garda/en/about-us/publications/general-reports/knife-related-crime-2015-to-2024.pdf

Appendix II of the report provides the annual count of knives seized at Garda Divisional level.