Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »

Kidnappings, robberies, extortions and burglaries are on the increase, latest data from the Central Statistics Office show.

According to the CSO, the figures for the third quarter of this year show that of the 14 different areas under which crimes are grouped, ten were lower for the 12 months up to the end of September 2009 than in the previous 12-month period.