Violent crime down 17 per cent but sex offences rise

The number of sexual offences increased by ten per cent in Scotland in the past year while the total number of crimes recorded by the police decreased by three per cent.

Scotland’s Chief Statistician published the Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2011-12 report this week and found that in 2011-12, the Scottish police recorded 314,186 crimes – 9,061 fewer than in 2010-11. In addition, the number of violent crimes (non-sexual crimes of violence) recorded by the police decreased by 17 per cent between 2010-11 and 2011-12, to a total of 9,533.

Other key findings include:

•The number of sexual offences increased from 6,696 in 2010-11 to 7,359, in 2011-12;

•The number of crimes of dishonesty decreased by one per cent to stand at 154,337;

•Recorded crimes of vandalism (including fire-raising and malicious mischief) decreased by eight per cent to total 75,201;

•Other recorded crimes (including drug crimes and crimes against public justice) increased by one per cent to total 67,756;

•The number of crimes of handling an offensive weapon decreased from 6,283 in 2010-11 to 5,631;

•The clear-up rate for all recorded crimes in 2011-12 was 49 per cent, the same as in the previous three years;

•The clear-up rate in 2011-12 for non-sexual crimes of violence was higher than in 2010-11, increasing from 72 per cent to 75 per cent;

•The clear-up rate for sexual offences increased by one percentage point. The rates for crimes of dishonesty, vandalism (including fire-raising and malicious mischief) and other crimes remained unchanged from those in 2010-11; and

•In 2011-12 the police recorded 544,033 offences (less serious crimes), an increase of three per cent from the number in 2010-11.

The figures show that crimes of handling an offensive weapon (which includes possession of an offensive weapon, restriction of an offensive weapon and having in a public place an article with a blade or point) have decreased by ten per cent since 2010-11 – a 44 per cent decrease since 2006-07.

The Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland QC said: “I hope that the prosecution service’s zero tolerance policy on knife crime is contributing to the decrease in reported crime. One knife offence is one too many but it is encouraging that crimes of handling an offensive weapon have decreased since 2010-2011.”

The Crown Prosecution and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) strengthened knife crime policy on July 22, 2011, in a bid to reduce offending and re-offending and to provide an effective deterrent.