Gardaí have seized over 2,100 knives last year, which represents a significant increase on the year before, and a far greater number compared to a decade ago.
In 2022 Gardaí confiscated a total of 2,132 knives, which was around 400 more than the year prior.
While some may attribute this to a natural and inevitable increase following the re-opening of society after the Covid lockdown, the number of knives confiscated by the Gardaí have increased significantly over the past decade.
In 2013, ten years ago, the number of knives seized by police in Ireland was only 1,341, meaning that last year’s figure represents a 59% increase over a 10 year period. Over 17,000 knives in total were collected during this time.
Speaking to Midlands103 about the figures this week, Aontú leader Peadar Toibín said that knife crime is becoming a bigger problem in recent years.
“Many people in many areas are now afraid in relation to knife crime,” he said, adding that “there needs to be strong action taken on this.”
While he said that it’s “a good thing” that the knives had been seized, and congratulated the Gardaí for securing so many, he said that it was a “major weakness” that the country had so few police nationally to deal with such crimes.
Concerningly, official statistics show that 44% of knife seizures between 2005 and 2019 were from those aged 12 to 23 according to Fine Gael TD Neale Richmond.
Shocking levels of knife crime unveiled as another young man is stabbed to death https://t.co/VSeiC8iV1V
— Irish Daily Mirror (@IrishMirror) August 12, 2021
Earlier this month Gardaí launched an investigation into a man in his late 30s who was stabbed to death in Finglas, with another woman suffering minor knife injuries to her hand while attempting to intervene.
Gardaí investigating fatal stabbing in Finglas https://t.co/f8xJKPhZct
— The Irish Times (@IrishTimes) January 13, 2023
In addition, just last week a man in his 20s was stabbed in Dublin city centre, with no arrests made to date.
Man (20s) injured in Dublin stabbing https://t.co/tMIZv88uW3
— breakingnews.ie (@breakingnewsie) January 26, 2023
Before that, a violent criminal who was recently released from prison after trying to “butcher” a Garda was arrested again over an alleged knife attack, which is reported to have left a man hospitalised.
Criminal jailed for trying to ‘butcher’ garda is arrested over serious knife attack in Dublin https://t.co/661iGYIz4c
— Independent.ie (@Independent_ie) January 19, 2023
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