New figures have revealed the crime rate in Northern Ireland is currently at its lowest level since the coronavirus lockdown.
The statistics released by the Police Service of Northern Ireland cover the crime rate for the 12 months from December 1, 2023, to November 30, 2024.
The figures give an insight into recorded numbers around crime, anti-social behaviour, domestic abuse, hate-motivated crime and drug seizures.
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There were 97,310 crimes recorded in Northern Ireland, a decrease of 10,657 (-9.9%) when compared with the previous 12 months. The level recorded in the latest 12 months is the lowest since lockdown restrictions were in place during 2020 and 2021.
Each month recorded lower levels of crime than the same months in the previous year, with August showing the largest decrease (-15 per cent). All policing districts experienced a lower level of crime.
There were 43,925 anti-social behaviour incidents in Northern Ireland, a decrease of 2009 (or -4.4%) when compared with the previous 12 months. This is the fifth lowest 12 month figure since the data series began in 2006/07.
In 12 months from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024, there were 7,505 drug seizure incidents, a decrease of 1,462 (16.3 per cent) on the previous 12 months. There were 3,380 drug-related arrests, a decrease of 53 (1.5 per cent) when compared with the previous 12 months.
The PSNI figures show there was a fall in the number of seizure incidents for all drug classes. Cannabis (Class B) was the most commonly seized drug, followed by cocaine (Class A), pregabalin (Class C) and benzodiazepines (Class C).
When compared with the crime rate in England and Wales, Northern Ireland has the lowest level. In Northern Ireland, there are 52,5 crimes for every 1,000 people, while in England and Wales there are 89.1 crimes for every 1,000 people.
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