Police reveal a drop in sex crimes and serious assaults across Ayrshire
POLICE Scotland has released its 2022/23 performance report which reveals a drop in the number of sexual crimes and serious assaults in Ayrshire.
The quarter one figures for 2022/23 show that 167 sexual crimes were reported, which is a decrease of 40 on the number reported in the same period last year.
Of those reported, 118 (71 per cent) were detected compared to 45 per cent in 2021-22.
Serious assaults also saw a drop – from 42 to 31 - with officers detecting 81 per cent of those reported in the first period of 2022-23.
The number of domestic abuse incidents recorded also fell from 307 to 292 compared to the previous year.
The carrying of bladed weapon incidents was also down on the previous year. However, lower level crimes were on the rise according to the latest report, with 163 incidents of theft by shoplifting detected – up 46 from 117 on 2021/22.
Recorded incidents of vandalism were also up by 11, with 221 incidents compared to 210 in 2021/22.
The number of speeding incidents detected was up more than double - 68 compared to 32 the year before.
Chief Superintendent Faroque Hussain, Police Scotland’s divisional commander for Ayrshire, said: “We remain committed to tackling sexual offences as well as our work which contributes towards changing attitudes on domestic abuse and violence against women and girls by building on our successful Don’t Be That Guy campaign as a key strand in the development of our Violence Against Women and Girls strategy.
“I also believe that victims of sexual crime continue to be confident that Police Scotland officers will carry out a robust inquiry and have the confidence to report any crime against them.
“Our school campus officers have played their part by raising awareness amongst the young people at schools across the three local authority areas.
“The drop in the number of serious assaults is welcome but we will not be complacent and continue to work closely in partnership to keep our communities safe.
“It is also testament to the hard work, diligence and commitment of our officers.
“The figures in the report show that it remains clear that with society spending more and more time in the digital space, particularly through the pandemic, policing online is becoming a bigger challenge for frontline police officers than ever before.
“There is also the ever-present threat of children being abused online and the harm associated with the sharing of indecent images.
“As a consequence, our efforts to keep people safe on their computers, tablets and smartphones wherever they are in the country have redoubled and we are continuing to invest in people and equipment as part of our Policing in a Digital World programme.
“The effects of the pandemic will continue to be felt for some time and we will now face new challenges, such as the current cost of living crisis, that will undoubtedly be reflected in recorded crimes going forward.”