The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Soaring reports of bad behaviour across region
20 incidents flagged up in Perth and Kinross every day Reports of anti-social behaviour soar by 29% in 2017-18
Complaints of anti-social behaviour have skyrocketed in Perth and Kinross, with more than 20 incidents being reported every day.
The region saw a 29% increase in the number of incidents being reported by members of the public during 2017-18 compared to the previous 12 months.
New figures show that 5,808 calls about the issue were made to Police Scotland during 2016-17. But this number then soared to 7,521 in the months that followed.
The data, released by the Scottish Conservatives, reported a 5% increase across Scotland as a whole.
The figures have prompted calls for the Scottish Government to ensure there are enough police patrols on the streets to act as a deterrent.
More than 155 incidents of anti-social behaviour are reported across Courier Country every day, a new report shows.
Figures show the number of incidents reported to Police Scotland have risen across Perth and Kinross, Dundee and Angus.
Despite showing a 2% decrease in the number of reports for 2017-2018, Fife still recorded the highest number, with an average of 75.5 incidents a day.
The statistics, released by the Scottish Conservatives, found there was a 5% increase in reports across Scotland as a whole.
There were 343,570 anti-social behaviour incidents reported in Scotland during 2017-18, a rise of 17,794.
In addition, the figures demonstrate there have been almost 1,000 anti-social behaviour incidents reported per day across Scotland.
Perth and Kinross had the fourth highest increase in the number of reports – rising from 5,808 to 7,521.
Angus also showed a large increase year on year with a 20% rise from 5,508 to 6,585.
Dundee had 15,026 incidents reported during 2017-2018.
Liam Kerr, Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary said: “A near 30% increase in anti-social behaviour in Perth and Kinross is extremely concerning due to the negative impact on local residents.
“These offences do have a larger effect on the elderly, vulnerable and those with young families and so it is even more important that Police Scotland have the resources to focus on community policing.
“With such a significant rise, it is clear that Police Scotland must work with the community to protect the vulnerable and deter those terrorising neighbourhoods.”
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Police Scotland is committed to reducing crime and anti-social behaviour in our communities in order to keep people safe.
“Community policing is at the heart of what we do and officers work closely with partner agencies as we are acutely aware of the upset that any form of antisocial behaviour can have within a community.
“Anyone caught committing antisocial behaviour can be charged, reported to the Youth Justice Assessor or given a Fixed Penalty Notice.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Changes in levels of anti-social behaviour are best assessed using measures of the population’s experience and all the evidence points towards a long-term, sustained reduction in Scotland.
“The Scottish Crime and Justice survey reports that the percentage of adults who think people behave in an anti-social manner in their local area fell from 46% in 2008-09 to 29% by 2016-17, while more adults than ever before feel safe walking alone after dark in their local area.
“However, there is no room for complacency and regular reporting of these incidents to the police and local authorities allows patterns of behaviour to be identified and decisions made on the best way to tackle it.”