Thousands of criminals are evading justice in Scotland as Police Scotland faces a 12% increase in outstanding arrest warrants, now totalling 11,290 as of May 21, compared to 10,064 last September. The figures, released under Freedom of Information, include 1,716 warrants for Class A crimes such as murder, rape, and organised crime, and 5,962 for Class B offences including weapons and domestic violence.
Among the most wanted is Derek Ferguson, a suspect in the 2007 murder of barman Tam Cameron in Bishopbriggs, near Glasgow. Ferguson, also wanted in connection with the murder of Billy Bates a month later, has been on the run for nearly 20 years. Despite international searches spanning Europe and Turkey, and a suspected secret return to Scotland in 2015, he remains at large. The National Crime Agency recently named him among the 12 most wanted British criminals hiding in Spain.
The backlog comes as Police Scotland intensifies investigations into gangland violence, particularly the feud between the Lyons and Daniel crime families. Operation Portaledge has led to over 60 arrests in 15 months for firebombings and machete attacks. Officers are also stretched by public disorder at asylum hotel protests.
David Kennedy of the Scottish Police Federation blamed the backlog on a shortage of officers, stating: 'It is unacceptable that we have people in our communities that have arrest warrants out for crimes that are so serious. The problem is that there are not enough police officers.' He called for an additional 1,000 officers, warning that the force cannot 'continue to do more with less.'
Glasgow has the highest number of outstanding warrants at 2,140, followed by Edinburgh with 1,464 and Lanarkshire with 1,320. Scottish Labour's justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill urged ministers to take urgent action, noting that the Chief Constable has highlighted a significant funding shortfall. Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Yi-pei Chou Turvey MSP criticised the SNP's centralisation of policing, saying pressures have increased and officers are overstretched.
