Scots more likely to be crime victims than the English

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2 days ago

Scots are more likely to be crime victims than people in England and Wales, according to an official survey that found declining confidence in the police and the SNP's justice system.
The SNP government's Scottish crime and justice survey said that that 19.9 per cent of adults were estimated to have experienced at least one crime in 2023-24. This compared with 16.1 per cent of people in England and Wales.
The proportion of Scots who had experienced violent crime (2.9 per cent) was more than double the rate south of the border (1.4 per cent).
The survey stated that, for the first time, Scotland's 'property and violent crime victimisation' rate (12.1 per cent) was higher than that in England and Wales (10.1 per cent).
The proportion of violent crime offenders aged under 16 was 31 per cent, the highest level ever recorded and nearly quadruple the eight per cent figure in 2021-22.
The survey also disclosed that only 36 per cent of Scots were confident that the sentences handed out to offenders fitted the crime, down five points compared to 2021-22.
More than a third of adults (38 per cent) were not confident in the ability of the police to catch criminals, with a small decline in the number who said the opposite.
Angela Constance, the SNP's Justice Secretary, said that total violent and property crime levels had fallen by more than a third since 2008-09, the year after her party came to power.
But Liam Kerr, the Scottish Tories' shadow justice secretary, said: 'This damning survey exposes how badly the SNP's soft-touch justice system is failing Scots.
'More people are victims of crime here than in England and Wales, while a growing majority feel that punishments don't fit the crime.
'It is little wonder that law-abiding Scots have lost trust in the system when the SNP continually panders to offenders and leaves victims as an afterthought.'
Pauline McNeill, Scottish Labour's justice spokeswoman, said: 'Violent crime is on the rise and increasing levels of property crime leave far too many people feeling unsafe in their own homes.
'Our justice system is stretched to breaking point after years of SNP mismanagement and neglect so it is no surprise public trust is declining.'
These findings were based on a survey of 4,973 people aged 16 or over living in private households in Scotland, with interviews conducted between July 2023 and April 2024.
It estimated that nearly 1.2 million crimes were committed in Scotland in 2023-24, with fraud and computer misuse accounting for more than two-fifths (44 per cent). Almost half of this category (47 per cent) were bank and credit card fraud.
The majority of violent incidents were minor assaults resulting in no or negligible injury (61 per cent), with a further 8 per cent being serious assaults and 5 per cent robberies.
It emerged in March that Police Scotland have 'written off' investigating more than 12,000 crimes under a controversial new protocol to cut officer workloads.
A pilot scheme was initially launched in the North East of Scotland, whereby some 'minor' crimes were not investigated if they were deemed to require excessive manpower.
This protocol was rolled out across Scotland and a report disclosed that 12,017 crime reports had been 'directly filed', meaning they were not fully investigated.
Ms Constance said: 'Crime continues to be down significantly over the long term, though the survey does highlight areas of concern and the need for continued action from governments and justice partners.
'While the levels of crime experienced remain similar to the pre-pandemic position in 2019-20, I am keen to understand what has contributed to the rises in crime identified since the 2021-22 survey.'
Mark Sutherland, Assistant Chief Constable, said: 'Levels of crime are similar to the period before the pandemic, while estimates that around one in 10 adults experienced fraud and computer misuse underline that policing must continue to respond to changing demands.'The Chief Constable has outlined a vision for policing of safer communities, less crime, and supported victims and we're delivering on those ambitions, including through a dedicated cyber and fraud unit and plans for a strengthened community policing model.'
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