There was a 131 per cent increase in the number of violent assaults reported to the Garda in 2000, according to a report published last evening.
The annual Garda report for the year 2000 said 1,703 such attacks - categorised as assaults causing harm - were recorded during 2000, compared to 737 such incidents the previous year.
Last night Garda spokesman Supt John Farrelly described the increase as worrying. He conceded the increase was "a massive leap". However, he said the detection rate of such crimes was significant at 78 per cent.
The report also revealed an increase in the number of murders and cases of manslaughter in 2000. There were 39 murders in 2000 compared to 38 the previous year, but cases of manslaughter almost doubled to 17 in 2000.
The overall crime detection rate of the Garda in 2000 was similar to 1999 at 42 per cent. The Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, said he was pleased with this success rate and he was later congratulated by the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, who said it was "extremely high by international standards". The Minister said he would give priority to reducing the level of street crime.
The highest rate of serious-crime detection was in Waterford, where the success rate was 68 per cent.
This rate was double that of Limerick, which reported the lowest rate of detection of serious crime at 34 per cent.
Political reaction to the crime figures was swift. Fine Gael's Mr Alan Shatter said the Minister for Justice had failed abysmally to ensure that streets were safe. The report, he said, confirmed there had been "a disturbing increase in street violence throughout the country".
"From surveys undertaken by Fine Gael, it is clear that the problem is substantially greater than recorded in Garda statistics, as a consequence of many victims of street violence not reporting incidents to the Garda Síochána.
"There is a need for a greater emphasis on community policing and a more visible garda presence on the streets," he said.
The Labour Party's justice spokesman, Mr Brendan Howlin, said the figures showed the Minister's promises of zero tolerance were "now a laughing point".
"There is little point talking about reductions in burglaries and car thefts if our citizens do not feel safe on the streets. For some time now the increase in violence against and amongst our young people has been a source of concern. Today's figures confirm that. New approaches are necessary. For that to happen though the Minister has to wake up to reality," he said.