Worrying rise in number of rape and sexual assault crimes in Louth

There was a significant rise in the number of rape and sexual assault offences recorded in the Louth Garda Division in the final quarter of 2024, compared to each of the three previous quarters of last year, according to figures released this week by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

40 rape and sexual assault offences were recorded in Louth in the final quarter of 2024, up from 37 in the third quarter, 26 in the second quarter and 21 in the first quarter. 

It is more than double the number recorded in the final quarter of 2023, when 18 offences were recorded in the Louth Garda Division. It should be noted however, that from 28 January 2024, policing services have been transferred from the Laytown sub-district in the Meath Division to the Drogheda sub-district in the Louth Division. This means that a comparison of the figures in the Louth Garda Division between 2023 and 2024 may not give an accurate representation of the crime rate in Louth.

Nationally, there was an 8% in the number of incidents involving sexual offences in 2024 when compared with 2023.

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