The figures for individuals treated in Irish healthcare facilities for wounds resulting from knife attacks has risen to a high that hasn’t been witnessed in nearly 13 years. At least 213 patients who were victims of “knife assault” received medical attention and were subsequently dismissed from the hospitals run by the State. The previous year marked the first instance since 2011 where over 200 patients had to undergo treatment due to knife-related injuries, representing a 12% rise compared to 2022, and an escalation of 30% from the numbers reported in 2018.
In response to this, the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, successfully obtained Cabinet authorisation to escalate the highest sentence limit for knife-related crime. Anyone apprehended with a knife and with the intent to cause harm could face a maximum prison sentence of seven years upon conviction, an increase from the prior five-year limit. The penalty for unlawful importation and trade of knives and similar weapons is also set to rise to 10 years, up from seven. However, judges continue to have the authority to assign jail terms at their discretion depending on the merits of each case.
While the injuries due to “knife assault” are on the rise, they are still significantly lower compared to the 2006 peak figures of 269. The number of in-patients with knife injuries continued to remain above 230 each year till 2011, following which it declined, before surpassing the 200 mark again the past year.
The “knife assault” data from the Health Service Executive merely records inpatient treatments. The data does not account for less serious knife attack injuries that would not necessitate hospital admission or in cases where the victim succumbs to the injuries. Thankfully, fatalities due to stabbings are comparitably few in the Republic.
Public discourse has seen a notable uptick around an assumed surge in seized knives. Gardaí confiscated a total of 2,146 knives last year, representing an approximately 90% increase compared to 2016, but a slight drop from the 2,260 that were seized in 2020. Garda sources have highlighted that this surge in knife seizures doesn’t necessarily indicate a rise in people wielding knives.
Five years ago, in 2016, Garda introduced a new system to effectively catalogue seized items, resulting in knives now having a greater likelihood of being documented accurately in the official records of the force.
Officers of the Gardaí conveyed to The Irish Times that the rise in documented knife confiscations can partly be attributed to enhanced recording methods. Nonetheless, they expressed anxiety over the HSE’s data suggesting an uptick in knife-related assaults.
One informant correlated the surge in such incidents to the full reopening of night-time businesses last year, post-pandemic. He noted that as the general economy is faring well, individuals are increasingly engaging in social activities. The inevitable involvement of alcohol and narcotics in such settings, he added, typically leads to a rise in reported stabbings.