NI murder rate 'almost doubles' in 2017/18
The murder rate in Northern Ireland has almost doubled in the last financial year.
Last updated 18th May 2018
There were 23 murders last year, up from just 11 in 2017.
It means the murder rate is at its highest peak since 2008, with several high profile deaths in the past 12 months.
In May of last year, Concepta Leonard was brutally stabbed to death in Maguiresbridge, Co Fermanagh.
She died while trying to protect her son Conor, who has Down's Syndrome and was stabbed in the stomach but survived.
In a similar case, Jayne Toal Reat was stabbed to death on Christmas Day in Lisburn, as she tried to shield her daughter from their attacker.
Another murder that sent shockwaves through the local community was that of Colin Horner.
He was gunned down in broad daylight in May of last year, at a supermarket carpark in Bangor.
His three-year-old son was in the car as Mr Horner was shot up to five times over what is believed to have been a loyalist feud.
The PSNI released its annual recorded crime statistics on Thursday, covering the period up until 31 March 2018.
There were notable rises in drug offences, which were up by 20%, from 5,416 to 6,502.
Those mostly concerned possession of controlled drugs, with prescription drugs a particular problem in Northern Ireland.
Another are which continues to show an upward trend is sexual offences, with rape offences rising by 150.
That has continued to increase over the past 15 years, with some victims' charities suggesting high profile cases like that of Jimmy Saville have encouraged some victims to break their silence.
Among those stats, there was a leap in the number of sexual grooming instances as well, although the PSNI has said this could be attributed to so-called 'paedophile hunter' groups.
One of the more unusual recorded offences was one instance of bigamy, something not seen in the past three years.