A comprehensive knife crime analysis report has been published by An Garda Síochána.
However, this report, appears to be somewhat contradicted by a press release/statement, issued by Fianna Fáil’s Minister for Justice Mr Jim O’Callaghan’s office on Friday last, August 29th.
First let us read Minister Mr Jim O’Callaghan’s press release/statement.
Statement by Minister Jim O’Callaghan on “An Garda Síochána – Knife Related Crime Analysis 2015-2024” report published today.
“I welcome today’s comprehensive knife crime analysis report published by An Garda Síochána. There are several positive aspects to the findings, including an overall drop in assaultsinvolving knives and an increase in knife seizures by Gardaí and prosecutions.
The data shows ‘Assaults Causing Harm’ with a knife accounted for, on average, less than 7% of Assault Causing Harm incidents over the past 10 years. The findings also show a 40% reduction in robbery with a knife, in retail spaces and a 35% reduction in robbery with a knife, in public spaces since 2020. This downward trend is to be welcomed.
Through its assault reduction strategy An Garda Siochana will continue to use proactive measures to reduce even further the number of assaults using knives. This strategy is informed by high-visibility patrols and an early investigation approach.
We now have a comprehensive and robust legal framework in place in Ireland with respect to knife crime. Maximum sentences for knife-related offences such as trespassing with a knife, and producing a knife to unlawfully intimidate another person has been recently increased from 5 to 7 years imprisonment. In addition, the Government doubled the maximum penalty for assault causing harm to 10 years. The offence of assault causing serious harm already has a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
However, I am concerned that the findings also show that most incidents of harm involving a knife occur in residential settings. I intend to raise the findings of this report with incoming Commissioner Justin Kelly when we meet early next week.
My message has always been clear – carrying a knife without lawful authority is illegal and I condemn the use of knives to threaten, intimidate or harm others.”
Press Release Ends.
“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics” Quote by Benjamin Disraeli.
Now let’s take a look at the actual report itself, as was issued by offices of An Garda Síochána. Keep in mind the Fianna FáilMinister’s above text issued to the press; particularly the phrase “There are several positive aspects to the findings…..”
Note: Since the report, (contained in pdf format), is some 13 pages in length including charts, we will just quote a few paragraphs. Our readers can read the report in full here, should they so wish.
Immediately hereunder, are 10 quotes from this precise Garda report.
(1)“The total number of crime incidents in which a knife was used was ranged from approximately 1,100 to 1,400 incidents per year between 2015 and 2022. In 2023, there was an increase to almost 1,600 and then a further increase to just over 2,200 incidents in 2024.”
(2) “The annual count of reported incidents of ‘Assault causing Harm’ has been overall upward trending over the ten year period from around 3,500 incidents in 2015, to just under 5,800 in 2024 (peaking at just over 6,000 in 2022)“.
(3)“The number of ‘Assault causing Harm‘ incidents, where a knife was used, has trended upward since 2016, in line with an overall increase in Assaults, and was highest in 2022 at 337 such incidents.”
(4) “The overall proportion of these Robberies which involved the use of a knife has been quite consistent at between 26% and 30% every year except 2020 (note Covid arrived February 29th 2020). At least 40% of these Robberies each year occur in retail locations and at least another 28% occur on the street/ in open spaces“.
(5)“The number of criminal proceedings (charges/summonses issued) for knife possession offences has increased from just over 1,600 in 2015 to just under 2,000 in 2024″.
(6)“2022 also marked a peak period in terms of incidents of Murder/ Manslaughter, where a knife was used, (15 reported incidents).“
(7)“The total number of crime incidents in which a knife was used ranged from approximately 1,100 to 1,400 incidents per year between 2015 and 2022.”
(8)“When considering murder – ‘Threats to Kill’ or ‘Cause Serious Harm’, the last five years have generally seen higher volumes involving the use of knives when compared to 2015 to 2019. In 2024, there were 125 incidents of ‘Threats to Kill’ or ‘Cause Serious Harm’, involving knives.”
(9)“The count of knives seized during 2024 (2,172) was similar to 2023 and in 2022. Record high numbers of knife seizures were recorded in 2020 in line with extraordinary levels of proactive policing during the Covid pandemic.”
(10) “Over the ten year period between 43% and 58% of ‘Assault causing Harm’ incidents involving a knife occurred in residential locations. The number of such incidents were notably increasing between 2015 and 2020.“
Note: Nowhere in the Minister’s Press Release does it mention that changes in data recording practices have increased the number of knife crimes detected and allowed for improved data insights on possession of knives, as offensive weapons.
To me it would appear that this report was never fully digested by the Minister’s PR Department. Presenting facts and events from a specific viewpoint in an effort to promote a particular issue to make it more favourable, is just not acceptable. The Department of Justice, above all others, should be seen to set the highest standard of honesty and be the most reliable and transparent, when it comes to press releases.
Meanwhile, Gardaí have reopened a number of areas around O’Connell Street in Dublin city centre that were sealed off following a serious assault this morning, Sunday 31st August. The assault took place in Westmoreland Street at around 6:30am. Take advice Minister, refrain from boasting about walking alone, on Dublin Streets.
No Minister, sadly, there are no ‘positive aspects‘ to these published Garda findings.
For the first time in Ireland’s modern history, more than 5,000 children are now officially declared homeless.
By being homeless we mean (A) not having a home, which can range from living without shelter (sleeping rough)(B) living in insecure, inadequate, or temporary housing, or (C) being in institutional care due to a lack of other options.
Figures released by the Department of Housing confirm that over 5,014 children are today living in Ireland without a permanent home, relying on emergency State provided accommodation. This number must be viewed as thousands of young children growing up without stability, security, or the comfort of a place to call their own.
The overall homeless population has reached a shocking over 16,058 people, an increase of over 15,915 in June last. Child homelessness alone rose over 56 in just one single month, up from the 4,958 officially declared in June.
In just four years, the number of people experiencing homelessness has nearly doubled; from 8,132in July of 2021 to 16,058 in July of 2025. These are not simply statistics, but families torn apart, futures put on hold and children suffering, through no fault of their own.
Homelessness is a wound that cuts through every layer of Irish society, but its deepest scars are borne by our affected children. It is a national disgrace that in a non-war torn, wealthy country like Ireland, thousands of our youngest citizens are being forced to grow up without a safe place to sleep.
Yet while this crisis deepens here at home, Irish political leaders like Irish Fine Gael politician, Tánaiste Mr Simon Harris, Irish Fianna Fáil politician, Taoiseach Mr Michael Martin; our outgoing Irish President and sociologist, Mr MD Higgins, all continue on the world stage, to claim to be global examples of social progress and humanitarian concern. Sorry, but to me their continuous posturing rings hollow when they ignore the electorate who entrusted them with Irish leadership. Empty rhetoric spewed out abroad on a regular basis cannot disguise the shame of failing the most vulnerable of their people here at home.
This catastrophe now demands urgent action from all political parties. We cannot allow another generation of children to be left behind. Our elected political parties, our communities, and all of us as citizens must refuse to accept homelessness as being normal. We must act boldly and immediately to ensure every child has the most basic of human rights; that of a safe and secure home.
People who erect signs in neglected, often polluted areas, claiming that the area is being “Managed for Wildlife”, sadly in many cases suffer from delusions of adequacy. When opportunity permits or when you next exercise your dog, take a stroll along the pavement on Emmett Street in the town. Here over the stone wall two “Managed for Wildlife” signs exist. [Note this same area was ‘strimmed’, bare, twice this year, making walking and flying insects homeless, but the wildlifesigns continue to remain in place.]
To those who claimed at a recent Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) meeting that they regularly entered the River Suir to remove discarded litter, sadly, the evidence seen by me today contradicts that claim. No one person has entered the river Suir, in the past 2 years, as images taken of litter today and in the past will confirm. See here and then view images shown in video, accompanying this report, (Note the timber pallets).
River Area In Thurles Town Centre “Managed for Wildlife”.
In an email sent to Thurles Municipal District Council requesting that for the sake of appearances, “a group of volunteers might be assembled to clean up the entirety of the River Suir from Barry’s Bridge to the Swinging gates at the junction of Emmett Street – Same work to include removal of sediment and reeds/weeds from the area“, alas the reply came back in the negative. Tipperary Co. Co. Council would have objections as would OPW and Inland Fisheries. We already were aware that LAWPRO would object. At least we now know the funded bodies responsible for the decline and destruction of our River Suir over the past 12 years.
At the junction at Emmett Street and Thomand Road, take a walk through the “Swinging Gates” entrance. Glance to your right to view dumped, strewn, sacks of what appears to be ladies assorted garments, which have lain there for months. This area is also “Managed for Wildlife”, as is the area travelling west from the children’s play park, close to the foot bridge. Here more garments are discarded; throw away, no longer wanted or needed. Yes, this is the work of an uncouth, uncaring resident, but nowadays we pay hefty community taxes to have such matters cleaned up in a timelier fashion. Again I ask the question, “For what exactly do we pay Property Tax?
The Need To Attract Tourism. Some weeks ago local councillors were making local headlines, seeking that a bus should immediately be funded by the government to transport passengers from Thurles Railway Station into Thurles town, latter now almost devoid of its once rich heritage, thanks to the same councillors and their officials. At Thurles Railway Station, regrettably yet another “Managed for Wildlife” sign is parked at the end of the platform, its deluded phizog guarding a small grassy area of ground 4.6mts(15ft) x 1.3mtrs(4ft). The terminally dehydrated grass here is no longer cut and since the sign was erected, this latter, flowerless plot, just described, together with the available quality flower pots strewn about the area; (latter previously voluntarily tended by locals,) today demonstrates a total lack of ambition for our town’s first impressions. (See Video). Truth is, if I were travelling to Thurles by rail, I would get back on the train.
Croke Street in Thurles for the most part has set an example for the rest of the town. Despite local residences being landed with hideosity and dereliction, facing unto their homes, they have introduced flowers, in an effort to distract eyes from an unsightly, ugly, unfinished, concrete structure.
Protecting Biodiversity – A Polite Name For Lack Of Motivation And Neglect. In Thurles, Co. Tipperary, ‘protecting biodiversity’ has become a polite name for neglect. As I stated on August 19th last, when it comes to areas within Thurles town, an outsider could be forgiven for thinking that our supposed “protection of biodiversity” is little more than a convenient disguise for neglect. What greets the eye in many places is not thoughtful conservation, but total dereliction; footpaths with weeds, vacant sites left to rot and green spaces littered with rubbish. This isn’t stewardship of the natural world; it is abandonment dressed up as environmental concern. Where real biodiversity currently exists in Thurles is to be tarmacked over, to build a new Drive-Thru McDonald’s burger joint, supported by Tipperary Co. Council.
Genuine biodiversity protection requires care, planning and pride of place; what Thurles, too often, shows is disregard, negligence and a shocking lack of ambition for our town’s appearance and well-being. If this is what passes for protecting our environment, then it is no wonder that so many residents feel our community is being failed at the most basic level.
It seems that the difference between the big business mindset and the mindset of environmentalists boils down to big business believing “I have rights” versus the environmentalists understanding “I have obligations”. Perhaps instead of thinking that we are “born with rights”, we should choose instead to think that we are “born with obligations”, thus requiring us to serve present and future generations, and while in doing so, serve the healthy needs of the planet on which we reside, each of us for a relatively short period.
The single largest category was for elected councillor’s basic salaries, which amounted €1,178,607.91 for the year 2024. The Annual allowance, made up €264,162.49 of the annual total, followed by a Local Representative Allowance (LRA), totalling €105,519.26, latter a vouched allowance for expenses incurred while carrying out the duty of being a local representative. The highest Tipperary earner for 2024 was Fine Gael’s Declan Burgess, who took home €59,114.09 for that year. His basic salary was set at €29,755.58, then there was the annual allowance of €5,720.16, and his LRA amounting to €2,557.58.
On Monday last, August 18th, the Cork Examiner Newspaper highlighted a story which concerned a Fianna Fáil junior minister. He, Mr Christopher O’Sullivan [Now Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage since January 2025 and a Teachta Dála for the Cork South-West constituency since the 2020 general election], claimed he had broken no rules by accepting €30,000 in payments from Cork County Council. His payment came during a year in which he admits to spending six months travelling in South America, Australia, and New Zealand.
Mr Christopher O’Sullivan TD, who was appointed a Minister of State in January, was, in 2008, serving as a Cork County Councillor, when he went on his travels, same undertaken the year after he was co-opted onto the council to replace his father.
Mr O’Sullivan said all payments he received; including his allowances and expenses, were in full compliance with the law. He stated that any allowances or payments during 2008 were in full compliance with the laws and regulations then in force, including the Local Government Act 2001 and his absence, while travelling, were taken in a continuous period of six consecutive months, same provided for under Section 18(4)(a) of the Local Government Act, 2001.
Section 18(4)(a) of the Irish Local Government Act 2001 states“A person shall be deemed to have resigned from membership of a local authority where the person is absent from attendance at any meeting of the authority for a continuous period of 6 consecutive months (“the relevant period”) from the date (“the relevant date”) of his or her last attendance at a meeting of the authority.” Section 18(4)(b) states “paragraph (a) does not apply where the absence was (i) due to illness, or (ii) in good faith for another reason, and which, in either case, is accepted by the local authority and approved by resolution under this paragraph, before the end of the relevant period, in which case the period shall stand extended to 12 months from the relevant date.”
According to the Cork Examiner, Cork Co. Council records show Mr O’Sullivan TD had the lowest attendance rate of all councillors in 2008, attending only 26 out of 70 meetings and despite this, he claimed travel expenses of €4,083; monthly allowances of €8,985, and a Representational payment of €17,179. While his attendance stood at just 37%, Mr O’Sullivan TD also claimed more in 2008 than four other fellow councillors who all had higher attendance records.
It appears that the Irish electorate has lost all control of taxpayer funding.
As stated above, the initiatives are the Children’s Court Advocate Pilot and the Family Law Reporting Project.
In the Report on Consultations with Children and Young People for the Family Justice Oversight Group in 2022, it was identified that children want more information, to be given a choice in how to have their voice heard and they also want professionals providing the support to show genuine care and interest. This development also follows the Review of the Role of Expert Reports in the Family Law Process published in 2024.
The Children’s Court Advocate pilot seeks to improve how the voice of the child is heard and considered in private family law proceedings. The aim is to ensure children can access child friendly and appropriate information about the legal process and are given meaningful opportunities to express their views in a manner appropriate to their age, development, and individual needs. The pilot reflects the objective of the Family Justice Strategy to make the reformed system more child-centred.
The pilot will initially be established in two District Court locations – Waterford City and Clonmel – and will apply to all applications made for guardianship, custody and/or access.
A review will be carried out no later than 18 months into the project and, subject to the outcome of that review and availability of funding, it is intended that phase two will expand the scope of the pilot to include incoming Circuit Court divorce and judicial separation cases. It is expected the total pilot period will be three years.
The second tender is for a Family Law Reporting Project, a commitment under goal six of the Family Justice Strategy. The overall aim of the Project is to enhance transparency both for the public about family law proceedings and confidence in the judicial determination of family law disputes, while continuing to ensure the privacy of those proceedings for children and families. The systematic reports on aspects of family law cases that the Project will produce and publish will further public understanding and awareness of, and confidence in, the judicial determination of family law disputes.
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