Top cop concerns over weapon crime
Ayrshire’s top cop has welcomed a new report which shows that serious assaults are down across the region.
However, Ay r s h i re’s Divisional Commander, Faroque Hussain, has also expressed concerns about the rise in reports of weapons offences.
The latest figures were released by Police Scotland last week and cover the period between April 1 and September 30 this year.
Serious assaults have reduced from 51 to 36 and sexual assaults are down from 128 to 74, when compared to
the previous year.
And detection rates for Group 1 Crime are up from 68.4% to 78% against the same period.
There have, however, been more crimes of carrying offensive weapons- which have increased from 54 to 83.
Responding to the overall report Chief Superintendent Faroque Hussain said: “These figures paint a promising picture- for Ayrshire’s communities and mirror the sustained efforts of officers’ commitment to keep them safe.
“We know instances of many other crimes are returning to pre- lockdown levels but we must not overlook the progress we have made against the backdrop of the public health crisis.
“The demand on officers has been unprecedented and it is to their credit that we are seeing a drop in reported crime across several crime groups.
“Weapons carrying remains a concern and we are dedicated to eradicating them from our communities and working with our partners to prevent their availability.
“We are constantly gathering local intelligence and will not hesitate to bring to justice anyone intent on causing harm to the people of Ayrshire.”
The figures also show that fraud and online child abuse continue to rise sharply, while other crimes return to prelockdown levels.
Crimes of fraud have increased by 45.4% in the first six months of 2020- 21 compared to the same period last year and are 83.4% above the five- year average.
Online child abuse is up by 18.4% year on year and by 35.8% when compared to the five year average during the same period.
Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor said: “The rapid increase in online abuse and exploitation of vulnerable people and children, either for financial gain or for sexual purposes, underlines that policing must continue to operate in public, private and, increasingly, in virtual spaces to provide education, reassurance and enforcement.”
The Performance Report was due to be presented to the Scottish Police Authority’s Po l i c i n g Per f o rmance Committee meeting this week.