Rapes soar 23%... with six attacks every day

SCOTLAND is in the grip of a growing violent and sexual crime wave following a sharp rise in the number of attempted murders and rapes.

The former have risen by more than a fifth in the past year, according to figures to be presented to the Scottish Police Authority tomorrow.

The number of rapes investigated by Police Scotland has also risen by 23 per cent in a year – with an average of more than six reported to officers every day.

More than 60 per cent of rapes are unsolved, but police said they welcomed ‘increased reporting and will continue to strive to proactively identify victims’.

The figures come after Justice Secretary Michael Matheson published in July a blueprint for the future of the justice system, which claimed that ‘Scotland has become a safer place’.

Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘SNP claims of crime falling do not tie in with what’s happening on the ground. These statistics presented to the SPA back that up. The Scottish Government cannot continue to say reforms of the police service have delivered what was promised when these statistics appear to show the opposite.

‘It smacks of major policy and structural decisions being taken with insufficient planning [and] diligence. The Scottish public and victims, particularly those of serious offences, deserve far better.’

The Police Scotland figures cover the first quarter of 201718 – April to June – compared with the corresponding period of the previous financial year.

Violent crimes increased from 16,674 to 16,811 but the starkest increase was with attempted murders which soared by 21 per cent from 52 to 63 in the first quarter.

The violent crime detection rate – the proportion of offences with a suspect identified – is down 0.6 per cent to 70.3 per cent.

The number of robberies has risen by 21 per cent to 397 in the first quarter of 2017-18.

Reported rapes rose from 456 to 561 – a 23 per cent

‘Victims deserve far better’

increase. This means that over a 91-day period, more than six rapes were reported every day on average.

The detection rate is up 5.1 per cent to 54 per cent for rapes – but police said there had been an 11.2 per cent fall in the detection rate compared with the five-year average. Overall the number of sexual crimes reported, including rape, rose by 3.5 per cent to 2,948.

Police Scotland’s performance summary report found the number of crimes reported overall rose by 1.7 per cent to 63,483 – an average of nearly 700 a day. Under SNP justice plans, thousands more criminals are set to dodge jail as part of a ‘soft touch’ drive to spare offenders the ‘stigma’ of a prison sentence.

The reform, unveiled in July, includes a proposal to introduce a presumption against jail terms of less than a year, allowing thieves, thugs and drug users to avoid custody.

But the blueprint fails to promise a shake-up of the crisis-hit police service. A force spokesman said: ‘Police Scotland fully acknowledges there is under-reporting of all forms of sexual crime.

‘The percentage of rapes reported within 0-2 days has increased to the highest recorded level. This is very encouraging and ensures that victims receive early support, evidential opportunities are maximised and perpetrator risk can be quickly assessed and managed.’

The Scottish Government said: ‘Crime in Scotland is at a 42-year low and the long-term trend in non-sexual violent crime remains downward, with rates substantially below a decade ago.

‘We’ll continue to maintain intelligent, targeted education and enforcement to prevent and tackle offending, including crimes of violence.’