Drop in crime in past decade but keep alert

New figures have revealed a drop in crime in South Lanarkshire over the last decade.

The Scottish Government statistics show recorded crime in South Lanarkshire has fallen by 37 per cent in the ten years between 2006/07 and 2015/16.

The figure is less than the national average, which shows a nationwide fall of 41 per cent.

Across South Lanarkshire more than 13,000 crimes were recorded, which included 350 sexual crimes, 270 non-sexual crimes of violence, over 5000 crimes of dishonesty and more than 3000 charges relating to damage, such as vandalism and fire-raising.

There were also more than 17,000 offences, which includes miscellaneous and motoring offences.

Lanarkshire’s top cop welcomed the‘substantial reduction’.

Superintendent Roddy Irvine said:“Throughout the year, officers have once again focused on the key priorities identified by members of the community and worked with our partner agencies to ensure that there are significantly fewer victims of crime than last year.

“Although we are pleased with these results, it is important to remember the effect that every single crime has upon the victim.

“We are not complacent and will continue to target anyone who commits crime, and deal with them robustly, whilst providing the best support we can to the victims.

“Looking forward, I am ensuring that we in Lanarkshire Division remain capable of tackling crime as it changes, especially in line with advances in technology.

“I’d like to remind everyone to be aware of the threat posed via the internet, especially child sexual exploitation and fraud. Increasingly, I regard the frontline of policing to include the bedroom or living room or wherever a computer may be located.

“I’d also like to remind people to take common sense precautions.

“Don’t put yourself in a compromising position online with a stranger. You instantly lose control of any image or video they obtain which can be shared around the world in seconds, and often is.

“You can then find yourself a victim of extortion attempts. In terms of fraud, banks will never ask you for your password. If someone does then I can guarantee you it’s not your bank.”