Violentand drugcrime ontherise
The number of violent and drug crimes recorded in Tayside increased since the pandemic lockdown first began, according to police records.
Officers in Tayside recorded a near 12 per cent hike in these offences over the past year as the result of proactive policing to “pursue offenders and keep vulnerable victims safe”.
Police Scotland’s 2020-21 Quarter 4 Performance Report - which covers a few days into the country’s first lockdown to the start of April this year – highlights an increase in the number of group five crimes to 4669 in 2020/21 from 4183 the previous year.
Group five includes crimes linked to drug supply, the seizure of offensive weapons and offences relating to serious and organised crime.
More than 90 per cent of these crimes have been detected so far, with “numerous investigations” still ongoing.
The number of domestic abuse incidents reported in Tayside increased by more than three per cent during the reporting period, although crime overall had reduced by two per cent.
Divisional commander chief superintendent Andrew Todd said: “As well as taking on the unprecedented role of public health policing over the past year, we have remained committed to ensuring that our communities were safe places to live.
“Proactive operations have been ongoing, adhering to COVID-19 restrictions, to remove illegal substances and offensive weapons from our streets, and the recent launch of Operation Argonite in Dundee has already resulted in numerous drug seizures and charges as well as the identification of vulnerable victims being exploited by criminals.
“Alongside this, we have remained committed to identifying victims of ‘hidden harm’ crimes such as domestic and child abuse, which have increased as more people remained at home.
“The number of domestic abuse incidents reported in Tayside increased by more than three per cent during the reporting period, while nationally almost 2000 child sexual abuse crimes were recorded - 24.9 per cent greater than the five year average.
“Fraud also continues to increase exponentially across Scotland and we will continue to work with our colleagues in national units, and our partners, to build capacity and capability to help keep people safe in the virtual world.”
He added: “The past year has been extremely challenging for so many, and the support we have received from the public has been extraordinary. This can be seen in the results of our recent public confidence in policing survey which highlighted an increase of 11 percentage points, compared to the previous year pre COVID-19.”
The report will be presented to the Scottish Police Authority’s policing performance committee today.