Increase in weapons taken off the street
Top cop says rise is due to hard work of police officers
Renfrewshire police have taken more weapons off the street and have also been targeting drink and drug-drivers.
New figures show a proactive approach by officers led to the number of recorded crimes involving offensive and bladed weapons in the division almost doubling year-onyear.
A total of 155 of these crimes were recorded between April 1 and June 30 compared with 87 in the same period of the previous year.
Officers also solved more of these offences, with the number of detections rising from 78 to 130 in the same period.
Management Information figures released by the force also showed that despite Covid-19 restrictions during that time, driving offences also rose.
Officers cont i nued patrols on the roads around Renfrewshire in the first quarter of this year, resulting in a small rise in driving offences.
The number of motorists caught driving while under the influence of drink or drugs rose by 50 per cent year-on-year, from 64 to 96, and there were 85 cases of people driving without a licence, up from 37.
The number of people injured in road accidents was down from 75 to 27 during the same period.
Cyber crimes also rose in the first quarter, reflecting a Scotland-wide increase in offences such as fraud.
The number of cases of fraud rose from 113 to 204, an increase of more than 80 per cent year-on-year.
It comes as the Police Scotland Performance Report, introduced by Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor, showed that public confidence in policing was up by 20 per cent this year.
Chief Superintendent Alan Murray, divisional commander of Renfrewshire and Inverclyde, said: “Police Scotland officers have been working hard in communities across the division throughout the pandemic, tackling issues such as knife crime, drugs and road safety.
“These figures cover an extraordinary period for Scotland with highly restrictive measures in place as we collectively sought to combat the spread of coronavirus.
“With quieter roads due to the restrictions in place, fewer people were injured, but it is disappointing that some drivers continued to break the law, driving under the influence, speeding or driving carelessly on our roads.
“Drink and drug-driving has a devastating impact on victims, communities and drivers themselves and we will continue to focus on road safety in Renfrewshire and Inverclyde.
“Officers have also worked hard to take more weapons off our streets and the increase in detections of crimes of this nature is testament to their efforts.
“We also work closely with our colleagues in our national, specialist units on issues such as fraud to ensure that we keep people safe in public, private and virtual spaces.”