Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 December 2025
581. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of cases dealt with by the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau in each of the years 2020 to 2025; the top ten categories of offences addressed by the Bureau; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73750/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to fight crime. The 2026 allocation provides a budget of over €2.59 billion to An Garda Síochána. This is a 33% increase since 2021. This unprecedented budget will strengthen the work of specialist units such as the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau (GNCCB).
The GNCCB is tasked with the forensic examination of digital devices that have been seized during the course of any criminal investigations. These include incidents of cyber-crime, online harassment, computer intrusions, child exploitation offences, murder and any other criminal investigation in which digital devices are seized or may contain evidential data. This may include devices belonging to both suspects and witnesses.
The table below provides for the total number of new applications for cases created at GNCCB and the number of cases closed each year by the Bureau as follows:
|
Year |
Cases Created |
Cases Closed |
|
2020 |
400 |
350 |
|
2021 |
501 |
381 |
|
2022 |
511 |
633 |
|
2023 |
380 |
630 |
|
2024 |
626 |
754 |
|
2025 (YTD) |
607 |
569 |
To note, cases closed in one year may have been created in a previous year.
The Table below provides for an overview of the top ten categories of offences relating to the cases created above as follows:
|
Number |
Incident Type |
|
1 |
Child Sexual Exploitation Material |
|
2 |
Theft and Fraud Offences |
|
3 |
Child Exploitation/Grooming |
|
4 |
Harassment |
|
5 |
Murder - Suspect |
|
6 |
Sexual Assault Rape |
|
7 |
Drug Offences |
|
8 |
Terrorism |
|
9 |
Unauthorised Access |
|
10 |
Human Trafficking |
