Alarming new statistics from the Scottish Government have revealed that a report of rape or attempted rape is made to police in Scotland every three hours.
The number of these devastating crimes has surged by 11 per cent in the past year alone, rising to more than 3,000 incidents. This forms part of a deeply concerning longer-term trend, with reports having increased by a quarter over the past four years.
A Nationwide Surge in Sexual and Violent Crime
The government's data shows there were 3,043 reports of rapes and attempted rapes in the year to September, a significant jump from 2,746 the previous year. Since 2021, this category of crime has seen a staggering 25 per cent increase.
This is part of a broader rise in sexual crimes, which grew by 7 per cent in the past year to 15,704 reports. Particularly worrying is the 24 per cent increase in offences involving indecent photos of children, which rose from 756 to 936 cases. Crimes of 'revenge porn', where intimate images are threatened to be or are disclosed, also increased by 15 per cent.
Overall, nearly 500,000 crimes were reported to Police Scotland. Violent crime saw a 3 per cent annual rise, translating to a daily average of just over 200 violent offences. Reports of domestic abuse increased sharply by 22 per cent compared to the previous year.
Retail Crime and the Widening Policing Gap
The statistics paint a bleak picture for retailers and the public. Shoplifting has soared by 129 per cent since 2021, with a 15 per cent rise in the last year, prompting the Scottish Conservatives to warn that shopworkers are 'under siege'. Drug supply offences also rose by 15 per cent.
David Kennedy, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, stated that the figures confirm a growing crisis in policing resources. He emphasised this is 'not a picture of a country whose policing needs are stable or decreasing – it is the opposite,' and warned that 'the gap between demand and resource is widening, and it is the public who ultimately pay the price.'
Political Recriminations and Calls for Action
The shocking figures have sparked a fierce political debate. Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr placed the blame squarely on the Scottish Government, calling the statistics 'deeply alarming' and labelling them 'the direct result of the SNP’s cuts to policing and their relentless weakening of the justice system.'
In response, Justice Secretary Angela Constance insisted that Scotland 'continues to be a safe place to live, with recorded crime falling by half since 1991.' However, she acknowledged that 'multiple factors will lie behind increases in sexual crime.'
Charities and opposition parties expressed profound concern. Sandy Brindley, chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland, said the levels of sexual violence should be 'Scotland’s biggest source of shame' and that more must be done to 'stop rape before it happens.'
Wendy Chamberlain, Scottish Lib Dem deputy leader and a former police officer, suggested the increase in sex crime 'may be partly down to more reporting, which is only to be welcomed, but it still points to a very worrying trend.'
