Steady rise in drugs cases increasing workload in District Courts – report
There has been an 8 per cent year-on-year increase in lesser drugs charges, according to figures from the courts service published on Monday.
There were 30,018 new drugs cases before the District Court last year, compared to 27,783 in 2024, according to the Court Service Annual Report 2025.
Chairperson of the board of the Courts Service, Judge Aileen Donnelly, said the rise in drugs cases of a less serious kind in the District Court had increased the workload of that jurisdiction.
She said changes in court case statistics more generally can indicate “changed attitudes and activity in society”, changes in legislation or a change to policing.
The courts service report also noted that road traffic offences saw a 22 per cent reduction over seven years.
Ms Donnelly said: “It might well reflect a change in attitudes amongst the driving public to road safety, and compliance with rules of the road, as increased awareness campaigns and enforcement have taken affect.”
Larceny, fraud...
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