Knife crackdown sees Scottish murder rate drop to record low

Scotland’s murder rate hit a potential all-time low in 2015/16 as the overall crime rate continued to fall.

Figures published by Police Scotland have shown that in the year ending in March 2016, the number of murders committed in Scotland fell from 55 to 49 – the lowest figure ever recorded using modern practices.

The total number of homicides, including culpable homicides, was 57, producing a homicide rate of just over one per 100,000 people.

Experts believe this is partly due to an 11-year anti-knife campaign by the force’s Violence Reduction Unit.

John Carnochan, who helped found the team, said: “Obviously this is good news but what we are seeing is knives being removed meaning lower fatalities in violent incidents.

“So the message that knives are unacceptable to use as a society is so important.

“But murder can be a happenstance and progress is fragile. It only takes somebody to decide that knives are cool again for things to change.”

The overall recorded crime rate also fell by 3.2 per cent to 246,243 over the period, and the detection rate rose slightly to 51.6 per cent, or 127,126.

Serious assaults increased by 24.2 per cent, although the force suggested this may be because of enhanced recording guidelines introduced in January that classed many former ‘minor assaults’ as more severe.

The total number of violent crimes recorded increased by 5.3 per cent – significantly below the five-year average – and sexual crime increased by 6.2 per cent.

However, Police Scotland welcomed this news, saying it represented increasing confidence levels as victims are becoming more willing to come forward.

There was a 6.5 per cent reduction in the number of rapes committed, and nearly four in ten rape reports were non-recent.

Deputy Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said “significant resources” had been committed to investigating historical sexual abuse, domestic violence and rape cases.

He added: “The overall reduction in recorded crime is to be welcomed; it means fewer victims of crime in our communities.

“There were fewer than 50 murders last year across the whole of the country, with major investigation teams working closely with local policing officers to detect those crimes and manage the impact in communities.

“The loss of any life is a tragedy and we will continue to do all we can to reduce violent crime.”