900 complaints to police a day as antisocial behaviour rises
more than 900 complaints of antisocial behaviour were reported on average to police every day last year.
Police scotland statistics show there were more than 343,570 antisocial behaviour incidents in 2017-18, up by 17,635 from the previous year.
Complaints included vandalism, noise, neighbourhood disputes and disturbances caused by drunken yobs in neighbourhoods across the country.
last night, the scottish Conservatives said the rise of about 5 per cent in antisocial behaviour in the past year showed the ‘sNP’s soft-touch approach to crime is failing communities’.
liam kerr, the scottish Tories’ justice spokesman, said: ‘There must be no question of abandoning victims of antisocial behaviour or implicitly signalling to the perpetrators that they will be tolerated. The sNP must ensure we have enough police officers on our streets to detect and deter anyone undertaking antisocial behaviour, and reassure the public that they will be protected.’
Police scotland’s ‘management information’ data indicate there were 941 such incidents a day on average in 2017-18.
aberdeen had the greatest increase in antisocial behaviour, up 41 per cent year on year from 10,959 incidents to 15,431.
most council areas recorded an increase, while nine local authorities reported a decrease. North ayrshire had the largest fall, down 7 per cent to 8,783 incidents.
Glasgow had the highest number of antisocial behaviour incidents at 56,337 – equivalent to 154 per day – while orkney had the lowest at 218.
The figures come after thousands of youths held a drinkfuelled beach party in Troon, ayrshire, on monday, and mounted police had to restore order.
Police routinely issue antisocial behaviour ‘fixed penalties’ but the most recent figures show that of the fines issued in 2016-17, only 67 per cent of the total had been paid by January this year.
earlier this month, a thug who vandalised a memorial to tragic footballer shaun Woodburn escaped a jail sentence.
mr Woodburn, 30, died following an assault last year. His killer was jailed for only four years.
roberto Panza had taken legal highs and alcohol before vandalising the memorial site in leith, edinburgh. Panza, who also pleaded guilty to three further charges of assault and disorderly behaviour during separate incidents, was placed under a twoyear supervision order and told to take part in alcohol counselling.
earlier this year, scottish Government figures revealed that nearly two in every three crimes are not reported to police. soaring numbers of criminals involved in vandalism, theft and break-ins are never punished, partly because victims believed officers ‘would not have been interested’.
Critics said the figures showed waning confidence in the police and that a ‘white flag’ was being raised on petty crime.
Police scotland said it treated antisocial behaviour ‘as a priority’ and public confidence in the force ‘remained very high’.
a scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Changes in levels of antisocial behaviour are best assessed using measures of the population’s experience, and all the evidence points towards a long-term, sustained reduction.’
‘White flag raised on petty crime’