Justice Minister Angela Constance, Labour spokesperson Pauline McNeill MSP, Conservative MSPs Annie Wells and Liam Kerr and Drugs Minister Maree Todd.
by Lucy Ashton
More than eight out of ten violent, property and fraud crimes are not being reported to police amid ‘collapsing’ public confidence in the SNP’s single Scotland force.
Shocking figures from a Scottish Government survey of around 5,000 adults show the extent of offending.
The research found that almost 1.2million crimes such as assault, housebreaking and fraud took place in 2024/25 – including some 199,000 violent offences – but only a fraction were logged with police.
It showed 39 per cent lack confidence in the ability of the police to ‘catch criminals’ while the proportion who believe the force is doing a good job has fallen sharply.
Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘The huge number of crimes going unreported is terrifying and speaks volumes for the collapsing public confidence in the SNP’s soft-touch justice system.’
Around 1,199,000 violent, property and fraud crimes occurred in 2024/25, according to the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SJCS), up from 1,185,000 in 2023/24.
According to The Scottish Daily Mail, the survey estimated that only 17 per cent of these crimes ‘came to the attention of the police’. Some 70 per cent of violent crimes were not reported, along with 73 per cent of property crimes – while only 5 per cent of crimes of fraud were logged.
Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: ‘I am acutely aware of the impact on the very small proportion who fall victim to violent crime.’
It also follows a row over an inflation-busting pay hike for Chief Constable Jo Farrell, right, who received £134,000 from the taxpayer to help her buy a second home.
The research found only 45 per cent thought the police were doing an ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ job.
In 2024/25, the proportion of adults in Scotland estimated to have experienced the types of crime in the survey was higher than in England and Wales (20.8 per cent compared to 17.1 per cent).
The SCJS found that 46 per cent off all violent crime takes place in the victim’s workplace, with 28 per cent of such offences committed by under-16s.
Meanwhile, 11.5 per cent were the victim of at least one crime of fraud or computer misuse in 2024/25.
Scottish Labour justice spokesman Pauline McNeill said: ‘It’s clear from these figures that the SNP’s soft-touch approach to justice has consequences and that this tired and out of touch SNP government has no answers.’
Justice Secretary Angela Constance said yesterday: ‘I am acutely aware of the impact on the very small proportion who fall victim to violent crime.’
A Police Scotland spokesman said: ‘We have been clear about the importance of strengthening frontline policing.’
Former Police Scotland superintendent Martin Gallagher said: ‘The police need to be allowed to focus on crime, and be given the resources to do so.’
This article reflects the reality that there is little to no trust in the police.
Police Scotland are a political police force. They have no end of resources to pursue political agendas but little to pursue bread and butter issues that folks actually want and need.
Hate crime alleged, or pursuing covid restriction breakers whilst disregarding others, or pursuing hugely expensive political prosecutions, or arresting protestors for faux terrorism nonsense, that is what our police do. Quite who would be a young police officer these days is a good question.
Of course it goes without saying that Police Scotland was a political creation. There was no way that the political firmament were going to allow local police forces with real connections into their communities. That is where the rot starts. That is where the loss of public confidence starts.
And now Police Scotland want to be armed. That’s what big police forces do. Policing for the people by the consent of the people. I think we have lost that.