Top cop speaks out on changing face of crime
A SENIOR police officer has said the changing nature of violent crime has made identifying and preventing incidents more challenging.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Williams spoke about the growing threat of issues such as “sextortion” and acid attacks.
It comes as discussions were tabled at a violence prevention conference in Glasgow, hosted by Police Scotland, the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) and the Scottish Government.
ACC Williams, service lead for violence at Police Scotland, said: “The world around us is changing and so is the nature of violent crime.
“While we still work hard to prevent physical violence and knife crime we must recognise the growing threat of issues like sextortion, corrosive substance attacks and the effect of adverse childhood experiences.
“In addition, many incidents now occur in private spaces or online and this makes it more challenging to identify and prevent.
“As violence changes, so must the way we respond to it.”
The i naugural event on Wednesday addressed new and emerging trends in violence.
Delegates heard from experts including speakers from the VRU, a police sergeant embedded at HMYOI Polmont, the Navigator project, No Knives Better Lives and Medics Against Violence.
The senior officer added: “Violence is now at its lowest level since 1974 – but we can’t be complacent or forget that there were 63,548 crimes of violence in 2016/17.”
The event, held at St Luke’s and the Winged Ox, was also attended by Justice Secretary Michael Matheson who highlighted 16 Days – an international campaign to eliminate violence against women and girls.
He said: “We are working across government and with public services and other organisations to tackle violence in all its forms, including violence against women and girls.
“This includes strengthening the law by creating a new domestic abuse offence to better-tackle coercive and controlling behaviour, by and against people of all genders.
“We must continue to strive for more progress, holding to our understanding that violence is preventable, not inevitable. Only by tackling the underlying causes will we be able to break the cycle of violence and reduce the impact it has on our communities.”