The number of sexual offences and incidents of rape in the Shannonside Region have increased in the last year.
New crime stats from the Central Statistics Office show increases in the incidents in both the Roscommon/Longford and the Sligo/Leitrim Garda divisions.
According to figures from the third quarter of 2022, 23 sexual assaults and 20 rapes were reported to Gardaí in the Sligo/Leitrim division.
The figures recorded between June and September are an increase on the same time last year, where 16 offences and 14 assaults were investigated by Gardaí
The Roscommon/Longford Division also recorded a rise in the serious crime, with 12 sexual offences and 11 assaults reported to Gardaí in the three month period.
Meanwhile, The Cavan and Monaghan area recorded a significant drop in reported incidents, with sexual offences down 11 at 19 and incidents of rape down by 7 to 19.
11 of the 13 crime categories in the CSO data all saw an increase compared to the third quarter of 2021.
