I am informed by the Garda authorities that crime statistics are compiled on the basis of Garda operational areas, which do not always coincide with county boundaries. For this reason it is not possible to give a separate figure for County Kildare, and I can, therefore, refer only to the Carlow/Kildare division.
During 1998, 3,365 crimes were recorded in the division, which represents a 4 per cent rise over the 3,222 crimes recorded during 1997. During the same period, the detection rate increased to 46 per cent, which is 2 per cent higher than the national average. I should emphasise that these are the provisional crime figures for 1998, and subject to change as Garda investigations progress. The annual Garda report on crime for 1998 will contain the final figures when it is published later in the year.