TALKING POLITICS We must support police officers

According to the latest statistics recorded crime has risen in Scotland for the second year in a row.

These figures reveal that, in 2018-19, crime has risen in Scotland by one per cent; this equates to almost 2000 crimes.

More concerning still, violent crime has risen by a massive 10 per cent. This is the fourth annual rise in non-sexual crimes of violence and means violent crime is now at its highest level since 2011-12.

Unfortunately, the bad news doesn’t stop there. The publication also highlights that attempted murder and serious assault has risen slightly, sexual crimes have risen by eight per cent and handling offensive weapons has risen by 18 per cent.

In local terms, figures in Lanarkshire are even worse than the national average; there was a six per cent rise in crimes in North Lanarkshire.

At the same time crime is rising, the clear up rates for violent crime decreased by 2.8 per cent – the lowest level since 2010-11. Furthermore, the clear up rates for sexual crimes are at their lowest level since 1979.

This worrying and significant rise in sexual and violent crime, compounded by the decreasing clear up rates, can be nothing less than devastating news for victims.

Quite simply if our hardworking police officers are to do the exacting job the public asks, and expects of them, then they must be properly resourced.

Only then will our dedicated policemen and women have the resources they require to effectively do the job of preventing and deterring crime across the country.

Currently the Scottish Parliament’s subject committees are undertaking their pre-budget scrutiny; this is a process, introduced by the current Scottish Government, which I very much welcome.

Previously committees only had the opportunity to comment on the budget after it had been decided.

This, in turn, made it much harder to influence funding decisions. By comparison, the new process gives committees the opportunity to influence decisions before they have been announced even in draft form.

For the necessary funding to be made available it essential that, in the first instance, the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) listens to the police staff associations and unions who represent the workforce.

The recent Her Majesty’s Inspector of Prisons Report is critical of SPA’s lack of engagement with these representatives and recommends that meaningful mechanisms to rectify this are now put in place.

Thereafter, to address the worrying increase in crime rates and the decrease in clear up rates in Lanarkshire and Scotland, the Scottish Government must ensure Police Scotland has the resources it requires.

At the very least it must ensure there are sufficient frontline officers to protect our communities and maintain a visible presence to prevent and deter crime.

Crime prevention Ms Mitchell has said police officers “must be properly resourced”