26% Rise In Drug-Related Cases Last Year

The number of cases dealt with by the District Court increased by 10% last year. Of the thousands of cases each year, many are passed onto higher courts such as the Circuit Court or in the case of murder or rape, the Central Criminal Court.

The number of drug related offences which came before the District Court increased by 26% to 8,842 compared with the previous year. Larceny or theft cases also increased significantly in 2006 up 16% to more than 24,000. 888 people were jailed, more than 2,400 fined and some 1,800 cases were struck out.

More than 1,000 special or extra sittings of the District Court were held around the country last year in an effort to speed up the number of cases heard.