Violent crime soars by nearly 30pc in five years

Detection rate tumbles as police force is ‘undermined and underfunded’ by SNP

VIOLENT crime has soared by nearly 30 per cent in five years, the police watchdog has said.

The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) warned of a ‘sustained increase’ – while the detection rate has tumbled.

It described the rise as ‘concerning’ and called for ‘focused action’ to tackle the surge, despite government claims that the problem is under control.

Earlier this month, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was accused of misleading voters by claiming crime north of the Border is at a historic low, despite official figures showing it was rising.

It came as public spending body Audit Scotland raised the alarm over the SPA’s finances plunging more than £35million into the red, fuelling fears of chronic under-investment in the force.

Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr described the figures as a ‘national scandal’. He said: ‘Despite these catastrophic increases, the SNP has ploughed ahead with its soft-touch justice agenda which simply recycles criminals back on to Scotland’s streets on an industrial scale.

‘These figures show that the SNP has abandoned victims of crime, undermined and underfunded Police Scotland and continues to risk the safety of Scotland’s citizens.’

In its annual report for 2018-19, the SPA said violent crime increased by 10.2 per cent from 2017-18 to 8,008 crimes. The figure was 6,272 in 2014-15. It stated: ‘The five-year trend shows that there has been a sustained increase in violent crime, with an overall total increase of 27.7 per cent since 2014-15.

‘Against this consistent rise in the number of crimes is a parallel and significant fall in the detection rate which shows an overall decrease of 10.4 per cent since 2014/15. This is a concerning picture and is an area where focused action is required.’

The detection rate for non-sexual violent crimes was 73.3 per cent in 2018-19, down from 83.7 per cent in 2014-15.

The SNP has repeatedly claimed that Scotland is becoming safer and crime is at ‘historically low’ levels.

In a series of other damning disclosures, the SPA found that the ‘Information and communications technology (ICT) capability in place at present does not reflect that of a single national police service in the 21st century’.

It also said the average age of a police vehicle has increased from 3.2 years to 5.3 years since 2013. A total of £30million would be ‘required to bring the fleet up to the condition inherited from the legacy forces’ when the single force began.

In the most recent survey in 2015, it was estimated that the backlog maintenance bill for police buildings stood at £278million.

The report concluded: ‘The current situation is unsustainable.

‘The capital investment being comparatively lower than similar police services across the UK manifests in a number of ways.’

Scottish Labour justice spokesman James Kelly said: ‘A 27.7 per cent increase in violent crime since 2014-15 is simply unacceptable and is an indictment of the SNP’s mismanagement of Scottish policing.’

He said Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf must ‘listen to officers and end the continual cuts to Scotland’s police’, adding: ‘It is time the SNP stop putting a price on the safety of the people of Scotland.’

A Scottish Government spokesman said of the crime figures: ‘While all main measures of violence indicate a long-term fall in such crimes in Scotland, with recorded violent crime down 43 per cent since 2006-7, we are determined to secure the gains of the last decade.

‘As well as continued investment in policing, in the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit and projects like No Knives, Better Lives and Mentors in Violence Prevention, we have commissioned a major study into repeat violent victimisation.

‘This research will help police, local and national government to better understand the nature of repeat violence and ensure efforts are focused on those most affected by violence, wherever it persists.’

Meanwhile, Audit Scotland said the overspend of £35.5million for this financial year meant the SPA would not be able to balance its budget by 2020-21.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Audit Scotland has also concluded that the authority operates in an open and transparent manner.

‘Where issues have been identified, we will support the SPA in addressing the findings.’

‘The situation is unsustainable’