Drug crimes in Kilkenny on the rise: new figures

The number of drug crimes recorded in Kilkenny has increased by close to 50% in just four years.

The figures come from the Central Statistics Office’s recent analysis of drug crimes recorded in each of Ireland’s Garda stations from 2015 to the end of 2018.

The results, in general, reveal a year-on-year increase in recorded drug crimes across the county – with one year, 2016, an exception.

In 2015, just four years ago, there were 177 drug crimes recorded across Kilkenny’s 17 Garda stations. Four of these stations, Kilmoganny, Kilmacow, Stoneyford and Freshford recorded no drug crimes that year.

By last year the figure had risen to 243 drug crimes recorded in the county. Only Freshford station again recorded no arrests for drug crimes.

In 2016, a staggering 311 drug crimes were recorded. Every station in the county had at least two occasions when an arrest was made relating to drugs, bar Ballyhale, which recorded just one.

2017 to 2018 saw a 20% increase in recorded drug crimes in Kilkenny, which is exactly the same as the figure nationally.

TABLE: Station and the drug crimes recorded per year