The provisional crime figures for the first quarter of this year show a reduction of just over 6% in the number of serious crimes on the same period last year.
The overall figure fell from just over 27,000 serious crimes in the first three months of 2003 to under 26,000 such incidents in the first three months of this year.
The number of assaults reported in the first three months of this year fell by 204 or almost 18%.
The number of sexual assaults reported in the first quarter of 2004 fell by 54%. There were 41 more cases of rape reported in the first three months of this year compared to 2003.
However, the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, has expressed concern about a rise in the number of burglaries and crimes involving firearms.
