DUBLIN, Ireland: A new report from An Garda Síochána has revealed that most knife crime incidents in Ireland happen inside homes rather than on the streets or in public spaces.

The data shows a 40 percent drop in robberies involving a knife in retail locations from 2020 to 2024 compared with 2015 to 2019. Robberies involving a knife in streets or open areas also fell, recording a 35 percent decline over the same five-year period.

Despite these decreases, Gardaí seized 28 percent more knives between 2020 and 2024 than in the previous five years. Prosecutions for knife possession also rose by 14 percent, with nearly 20,000 cases taken over the last decade. This equates to close to 40 prosecutions every week for ten years.

The Dublin Region consistently accounted for the largest share of knife seizures, generally ranging between 40 and 50 percent of the national total. Within Dublin, the North Central, South Central, North, and West divisions recorded the highest levels of knife-related incidents.

The report found that knife-related murders were relatively rare, averaging fewer than one per month over the past decade. When such killings did occur, most took place in residential settings rather than in public spaces.

Men were overwhelmingly identified as perpetrators, making up 87 percent of offenders. Half of all offenders fell into the 18 to 34 age group, while 36 percent were aged 35 to 49. Teenagers were involved in seven percent of knife-related murders.

Over the last ten years, 1,784 people were admitted to hospital for injuries linked to knife crime, an average of 15 admissions every month. The year 2023 recorded the highest number of hospitalisations at 213. Of all admissions, 87 percent were male, and six percent were under 18 years of age.