Kildare prosecutions for serious crimes dropped in 2025 - DPP
Kildare recorded 0.56 prosecutions on indictment per 1,000 people in 2025
The number of prosecutions on indictment directed by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) in Kildare fell in 2025, according to the agency’s newly published Annual Report.
The report shows that 145 prosecutions on indictment were directed in respect of offences committed in Kildare during 2025, down from 168 in 2024.
‘On indictment’ means a serious criminal case that is prosecuted in a higher court, usually the local Circuit Court or Central Criminal Court, rather than being dealt with summarily in the District Court.
The figure has fallen significantly from 235 in 2023, 209 in 2022 and 217 in 2021.
Based on the population figures used by the ODPP, Kildare recorded 0.56 prosecutions on indictment per 1,000 people in 2025, compared with 0.66 in 2024 and 0.93 in 2023.
The three-year rolling average for Kildare stood at 0.72 prosecutions per 1,000 people for 2023-2025.
The figures form part of the ODPP’s Annual Report for 2025, published on September 22, which records increased activity nationally across the criminal justice system.
Nationally, the Office received 17,470 investigation files during 2025, a 5% increase on the previous year. Some 11,973 files, involving 14,975 suspects, related to serious offences requiring consideration by the ODPP’s specialist divisions. A prosecution was directed in 66% of cases involving suspects on files received during the year.
The report also highlights the continuing expansion of criminal court activity. Central Criminal Court sitting dates increased nationally from 5,248 in 2024 to 5,663 in 2025, while sittings outside Dublin reached 867.
Kildare also features in the report’s analysis of completed Circuit Criminal Court cases. For cases received in 2024, 55 Kildare cases were recorded in the relevant table. Of these, 50 resulted in convictions on plea, two in conviction by jury and three in conviction on a lesser charge. The report cautions that these figures relate to files received in earlier years and should not be interpreted as a measure of the outcome of 2025 prosecutions.
The ODPP operates through local State Solicitors, with separate offices covering Kildare South and Kildare North and West.
The 2025 report marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of an independent prosecution service in Ireland.
Director of Public Prosecutions Catherine Pierse said the figures demonstrated sustained high levels of activity across the criminal justice system, while the Office continues to invest in digital systems and its capacity to manage increasingly complex investigations.