The rate of domestic violence incidents reported to gardaí has risen by 10 per cent in the first four months of the year, compared with the same period last year, according to new data released by An Garda Síochána.
More than 1,000 reports of alleged domestic violence are now received by the force each week on average, the data showed.
Figures released on Friday show more than 17,900 incidents of domestic abuse reported in the first four months of 2026.
The data was released by gardaí on Friday to coincide with Go Purple Day, an initiative that aims to raise awareness of domestic abuse and the supports available to victims.
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The figures showed that more than 920 arrests have been made in connection with domestic abuse up to April 30th this year, also a 10 per cent rise from the first four months of 2025.
There have been more than 4,900 charges or summons arising from domestic abuse incidents in the same period, a rise of 14 per cent from last year.
On average, more than 1,000 domestic abuse reports were made to gardaí each week in 2025, a 6 per cent increase from 2024. Data for 2026 shows an average of about 1,052 reports per week up to April 30th.
The vast majority of domestic abuse victims are women, with Garda figures showing one in five (21 per cent) incidents reported between 2022 and 2025 involved a male victim, while one in eight (12 per cent) involved a child victim.
[ Domestic violence reports up 4% this year so far, gardaí sayOpens in new window ]
Go Purple Day, now in its sixth year, was initiated by community policing garda Stacey Looby who recognised the impact pandemic restrictions were having on those “living in fear”, Garda Headquarters said on Friday.
Working in Navan at the time, Looby sought to raise awareness that pandemic restrictions on movement did not apply to those fleeing domestic abuse.
The day has since evolved to raise awareness of the supports available to those experiencing domestic abuse, both from gardaí and voluntary services.
Go Purple Day sees members of the force and members of the public encouraged to show their support by “going purple”, either through clothing or social media.
Several buildings and landmarks are also lighting up in purple, including Garda Headquarters in Phoenix Park, the National Museum and the Rock of Cashel in Co Tipperary.
Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis said domestic abuse continued to have a “devastating impact” on individuals and families across the country, and that it can be a “hidden crime, happening behind closed doors”.
Cases of coercive control, meanwhile, can be “occurring in plain sight”, she said.
A specific offence for coercive control was introduced in 2019. So far this year, 52 incidents of coercive control have been reported, down 2 per cent from the same period last year.
The assistant commissioner said gardaí were often meeting people at the “most difficult moments of their lives” and responding to incidents in “highly emotional and traumatic circumstances”.
“This is difficult and challenging work, but it is vitally important work. It is also work that An Garda Síochána takes very seriously,” Willis said.
She said improving services for victims, particularly victims of domestic abuse, was a “key priority for An Garda Síochána”.
Despite the “absolutely staggering” number of victims of domestic abuse, Sarah Benson, chief executive of Women’s Aid, said the majority do not report it to gardaí or seek support.
“They may not think that what’s happening to them is abuse itself, and that’s why raising awareness of the huge volume that the gardaí, as one single agency, are responding to is so crucial.”
Benson said the figures reinforce how “incredibly important it is that there is a robust, consistent Garda response”.
“This is one of the most high-volume, high-stakes issues that gardaí are responding to. There’s no station in the country that is not responding to domestic violence on an extremely regular basis,” she said.
