Nearly 1,000 knives were seized in Dublin last year.

The 998 seized in the capital makes up nearly half the country’s total, according to new figures released to Newstalk.

A total of 2,243 knives were recovered by Gardaí in 2020, a 5% rise on the previous year.

Some 172 were seized in Cork City and 86 were seized in County Limerick.

Meanwhile, 77 were seized in Louth and 73 were recovered in Waterford.

Dublin Central TD Gary Gannon said it is time to take a zero-tolerance approach to “knife crime and the carrying of knives.”

“That requires more Gardaí on the streets and it requires an understanding of the natures of gang-related behaviour,” he said. “Where these groups are congregating and what exactly they have the knives for.

“Then, I also think we need to see knife crime and crime in general as being not inevitable.

“These type of crimes seem like they are inevitable and they will be ever-present with us and I don’t think they should be.”

He said the high proportion of seizures in Dublin is “massively concerning” and noted that it has been “apparent for a long time” that the streets of Dublin are unsafe.