Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Nearly half city’s crimes unsolved
Figures released by the Scottish Government revealed that 47.9% of crimes reported to police across the Dundee City area were not detected.
The overall number of crimes reported in the city increased by 3% over the last year to a total of 8,837.
Dishonest acts, such as theft, fraud and housebreaking made up more than half of the total, increasing by 7% from 4,213 the previous year to 4,508 last year.
Violent crimes, fireraising, vandalism and other crimes, such as drug offences, increased slightly too.
Superintendent Graeme Murdoch, of Tayside Division, said: “The clear-up or detection rate from crimes in Dundee in 2015/16 was 52.1%, an improvement on 50.7% the previous year. This compares favourably with the other large urban command areas in the country.” Supt Murdoch said the detection rate was affected by crimes such as vandalism and housebreaking, which often have no immediate suspect, adding: “There are some categories of crime where clear-up rates tend to be much lower.
“It is only through diligent inquiry, appeals and forensic evidence that we later detect a percentage of these crimes.
“That said, these crimes account for a significant percentage of total crime so this impacts considerably on the overall rate.”
Councillor Alan Ross, convener of the council’s community safety and public protection committee, said Dundee was “a safe city”.
He added: “Generally, crime figures have been on a downward trend. We consistently see figures that show that crime across the country is down.
“More people are reporting crimes as well, which is a good thing but that can give you a false picture.
“I don’t think Dundee is in a bad place in comparison with other places in Scotland but we want to continue driving down the figures.”
A spokeswoman for Victim Support Scotland said: “Behind every statistic is a person, a family and community affected by each crime.
“Along with immediate access to support and information, having confidence in the reporting of crime and that what is said will be taken seriously and will be believed, is so important.”
NEARLY half of the crimes committed in Dundee last year went unsolved, a new report has revealed.