Around 40% to 50% of knife seizures take place in the Dublin region, according to a new ten-year analysis carried out by An Garda Síochána.
The highest levels of knife seizures generally occur in the Dublin divisions of North Central, South Central, North and West, the study, which was carried out between 2015 and 2024, showed.
Knife seizures increased by 28% during the period, with nearly 19,000 knives seized over the past ten years, averaging around five per day, according to the report.
There was a 28% increase in knives seized over the five-year period of 2020 to 2024 compared to the 2015 to 2019 period.
2020 was the year with most knife seizures (2,260), while 2016 saw the fewest knives seized (1,213).
Knife-related assaults accounted for just 5% of all assaults causing harm in 2024, and less than 7% on average over the past decade.
The garda analysis stated that fewer than two assaults causing harm with a knife occur on the street or in an open space per week across the country.
It said that most assaults causing harm with a knife occur in residential locations, with fewer than three incidents per week on average across the country.
The report also showed a 40% drop in robberies with knives in retail spaces and a 35% fall in street robberies from 2020-2024 compared to the previous five-year period.
Retail spaces saw a 40% drop from 2020 to 2024 compared with 2015 to 2019. There was also a 35% drop in knife crime in street and open spaces.
There was also a 14% rise in prosecutions for possession of a knife over the last five years.
The report showed that 86% of knife assault offenders are male, with over half aged between 18 and 34, while teenagers account for 9%.
Knife-related robberies remain relatively low, making up less than 30% of all robberies, while hospital admissions from knife assaults averaged 15 per month over the past decade.
Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan said he welcomed the comprehensive knife crime analysis report published today.
"There are several positive aspects to the findings, including an overall drop in assaults involving knives and an increase in knife seizures by Gardai and prosecutions," he said.
He added that gardaí will continue to use proactive measures to reduce the number of assaults using knives, including high-visibility patrols and an early investigation approach.
The minister said maximum sentences for certain knife-related offences, including trespassing with a knife and producing a knife to unlawfully intimidate another person, have recently increased from five years to seven years imprisonment.
Mr O'Callaghan said he was concerned about the findings that most incidents of harm involving a knife occur in residential settings.
He said he will raise the findings of the report in a meeting with incoming Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly next week.
"My message has always been clear - carrying a knife without lawful authority is illegal and I condemn the use of knives to threaten, intimidate or harm others."
