By Bill Heaney
‘Alarm bells should be ringing’, Scottish Labour has said today, as recorded crime increased by two per cent in just one year.
The police in Scotland recorded 292,702 crimes in the year ending June 2023, a 2% increase on the year ending June 2022.
Violent crimes remained worryingly high and were 4% higher compared to the year ending June 2019.
A staggering 14,834 sexual crimes were recorded in Scotland for the year ending June 2022, a stark 8% increase on June 2019.
These shocking figures come after months of turmoil in Scotland’s police, including:
- 600 police officers and 200 staff cut, alongside the proposed closure of 30 police stations.
- A controversial pilot in the North East, whereby certain crimes will no longer be investigated because of under resourcing.
- Massive staffing shortages and issues with retention and recruitment.
- The failed roll-out of Humza Yousaf’s body cam scheme, with Police Scotland’s deputy chief saying that budget pressures mean he cannot guarantee they will be rolled out this year
Earlier this month, Police Scotland warned that the changes required to work under this kind of continued pressure is “going to impact on our ability to respond.”
This chaos has also followed months of controversy surrounding the new guidelines around sentencing for under 25s, which has resulted in multiple convicted rapists dodging jail time.
Scottish Labour has called for the SNP to take this under-funding seriously to put an end to SNP-led turmoil in policing.
It has also called for a rethink and re-scale of the controversial new sentencing rules and a real commitment to tackle violence against women and girls.
Scottish Labour Justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: “Alarm bells should be ringing over these concerning figures, but to anyone who has been following the SNP’s chaotic approach to policing they come as no surprise.
“For years the SNP has allowed our police force to become under resourced, understaffed, and over worked – and it is our communities who pay the price.
Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP and Scottish Labour Justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill.
“This is the worst police budget since devolution. Victims of crime are being let down by a government that sticks its head in the sand and has left Scotland’s criminal justice system in tatters.
“The SNP must get serious about tackling crime. They can start by investing in our police force and ensuring criminals once again actually face the letter of the law.”
In the year ending June 2023:
The police in Scotland recorded 292,702 crimes in the year ending June 2023. This was 2% higher than the 285,974 crimes recorded in the year ending June 2022
- Non-sexual crimes of violence were <1% lower compared to the year ending June 2022 (decreasing from 70,156 to 70,136 crimes), but 4% higher compared to the year ending June 2019 (increasing from 67,407 to 70,136 crimes).
- Sexual crimes were <1% lower compared to the year ending June 2022 (decreasing from 14,880 to 14,834 crimes), but 8% higher compared to the year ending June 2019 (increasing from 13,678 to 14,834 crimes).
- Crimes of dishonesty were 7% higher compared to the year ending June 2022 (increasing from 97,207 to 104,495 crimes), but 7% lower compared to the year ending June 2019 (decreasing from 112,796 to 104,495 crimes).
Sources: https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-year-ending-june-2023/pages/2/
Decrease in staff numbers:
Meanwhile, responding to the Scottish Government’s recorded crime statistics, which show that fraud has almost doubled since 2019, with 51% of recorded frauds estimated to have been cyber-crimes in 2022-23.
Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP said: “These figures point to cybercrime driving a sharp rise in crimes of fraud. With so much of our lives now online, we need to be alert to the fresh opportunities that this creates for criminals.
“This alarming rate comes at a time when people are already experiencing financial hardship amid a biting cost of living crisis; that situation is made many times worse by fraudsters looking to take advantage.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats are calling on the government to enhance support for Police Scotland so that fraud teams have the tools, time and expertise to pursue crimes properly. More broadly, we need to see greater investment in our justice system to deal with backlogs, cut crime and boost public confidence.”