Scotland’s streets remain among the safest in the UK, with new crime figures showing a remarkable decline in serious violence and damage related offences.
According to the latest Recorded Crime in Scotland bulletin, overall crime has halved since its peak in 1991, and is now lower than it was before the pandemic.
Serious assault and attempted murder have fallen to their lowest levels since 1977, while vandalism and reckless damage are at their lowest since 1976.
Justice Secretary Angela Constance welcomed the figures, saying they reflect a long-term trend of improving public safety and increasing public confidence.
“These figures show that Scotland continues to be a safe place to live, with reported crime falling by more than half since 1991,” she said.
“Violent crime is down significantly in the past 20 years, with serious assaults and homicide levels at record lows.
“However, we cannot afford to be complacent.
“One instance of violence is one too many, and we are investing over £6 million across three years to prevent and reduce such crimes.”
The bulletin also highlights a 6% drop in crimes of damage and reckless behaviour over the past year, continuing a steady decline that has seen vandalism rates plummet by 73% since 2006.
Crimes of dishonesty, such as theft and fraud, have returned to pre-pandemic levels and are 74% below their 1991 peak.
However, shoplifting has risen by 16%, prompting targeted action from the government.
Sexual crimes have increased by 3%, including a 15% rise in rape and attempted rape.
A significant portion of these offences were reported more than a year after they occurred, underscoring the complex dynamics of such cases.
Angela Constance said this trend is being closely examined:
“Our response to rising sexual crime includes improving victim support, increasing confidence in the justice system, and updating the law on sexual offences.”
To tackle rising retail crime, the government has allocated £3 million in this year’s budget to support Police Scotland in working with the retail sector.
The overall police clear-up rate has improved to 56%, up from 54.1% last year.
Crimes against society such as drug possession and breaches of public justice had the highest clear-up rate at nearly 94%.
Cyber-crime accounted for an estimated 14,120 cases in the past year, a 16% decrease from the previous year, but still nearly double the levels seen before the pandemic.
One in four sexual crimes now has a cyber element.
As part of a record £4.2 billion investment in the justice system this year, policing receives £1.64 billion, including an increase to over £1.2 million for the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit.
Constance also confirmed that up to £26 million will go to projects supporting young people at risk of criminal activity, through the Cashback for Communities programme.
“We are committed to keeping Scotland safe and building safer communities for generations to come,” she said.
