Scotland has been branded “lawless” as it emerged that violent crime is surging across the country. The number of murders and sex attacks soared over the last year as the Scottish Government and Police Scotland were urged to get a grip of the crime wave.
In the 12 months to June, the national force recorded 323,531 crimes, up seven per cent in a year. The biggest increase was in cases of murder and culpable homicide, up from 35 to 49. There were sharp increases in attempted murders, serious assaults, sexual assaults, domestic violence and rapes.
Police warn of unsustainable demand
The report also revealed that crimes such as drug dealing, car theft and shoplifting were rising too. Last night, frontline cops said the crime wave should “concern everybody” and called for action.
David Kennedy, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, said: “Every one of those crimes requires officers to respond, investigate, gather evidence, support victims and, where possible, bring offenders before the courts.
“At the same time, Police Scotland is trying to manage this increasing demand with significantly fewer police officers than it had a decade ago. That is simply not sustainable.”
Rape and domestic abuse figures rise sharply
The figures prompted a furious reaction from women’s groups, with rape and attempted rape increasing by eight per cent from 3,004 to 3,240 crimes. Sex attacks soared by nine per cent from 15,122 to 16,560.
Rape Crisis Scotland’s chief executive, Alev Taylor, said: “Scotland continues to let down survivors of rape and sexual violence with increasing wait times in the criminal justice process and desperately underfunded sexual violence support.
“There is a lack of investment in prevention and tackling the roots causes of sexual violence, however there is also a failure to address the situation we’re in right now.
“Increasing numbers of survivors are unable to access the support they need when they need it, and this cannot go on any longer.”
The annual crime figures showed domestic abuse reports shot up by 19 per cent, from 2742 to 3264 crimes.
Dr Marsha Scott, CEO of Scottish Women’s Aid, said: “The scale of domestic abuse as evident in police calls and activity is always concerning, especially when we remember that the majority of women don’t contact the police. These figures remain a stark reminder of the level of harm occurring every day in every community in Scotland.”
Opposition and government respond
Opposition politicians hit out at the surging figures too. Scots Tory justice spokesman Stephen Kerr said: “Scotland is becoming a lawless country, and these figures are utterly disgraceful.
“We need a government that backs victims, backs our police and gets tough on the criminals making our communities less safe.”
Scottish Labour justice spokeswoman Pauline McNeill said: “There must be an end to the SNP’s soft-touch approach to justice and a boost to visible community policing.
“We also need action to tackle the root causes of the epidemic of violence against women – including working with boys and young men to confront violent and misogynistic attitudes. The SNP cannot continue to stand idly by.”
The figures, published by the Scottish Government, show serious assault and attempted murder up five per cent, from 2924 to 3069 crimes. Common assault increased by seven per cent from 59,892 to 63,852 crimes. Sexual assault rose by three per cent, from 5108 to 5281 crimes.
Robbery jumped by four per cent from 1803 to 1882 crimes. Theft of a motor vehicle increased by nine per cent from 4699 to 5123 crimes. Drug dealing rose by four per cent, from 4980 to 5179 crimes and shoplifting surged 20 per cent, from 47,381 to 56,920 crimes.
There were falls in death by dangerous driving, vandalism, hate crime and drink-driving.
The Scottish Government’s Justice Secretary, Neil Gray, said: “While Scotland remains a safe place to live and recorded crime has fallen by almost half since its peak in 1991, I am extremely concerned by the rise in sexual crimes and domestic abuse offences.
“These are abhorrent crimes and, unfortunately, reflect a broader pattern seen across the UK. Protecting victims and ensuring public safety are at the heart of our justice system, and we have taken action to strengthen confidence in that system.”
Police Scotland’s Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Houston said: “An increase in violence against women and girls, violence and sexual crimes is a huge concern.
“This is a societal emergency that needs a public health, society-wide approach to address the causes.
“We have hugely improved our response over a period of years, including delivering on our first violence against women and girls strategy, building a trauma-informed approach and ongoing engagement with victims and survivor groups.
“Our campaigning has started conversations but there needs to be more, and policing alone is not the answer.”
