Victims ‘pay price’ as HALF of all crimes unsolved
NEARLY half of crimes were unsolved last year – including almost threequarters of housebreakings – as police face massive budget cuts.
Overall crime detection rates fell from 59.3 per cent to 54 per cent between 2020-21 and 2021-22, according to official police figures.
For sexual crimes, the proportion solved is only 53.5 per cent, prompting concern that victims of rape and sexual assault are being robbed of justice.
The figures come as police chiefs warn that plans for funding to be slashed could trigger rising crime across Scotland, as rank-and-file officers warn of a financial ‘calamity’.
Scottish Tory justice spokesman Jamie Greene said: ‘The increasingly large number of crimes that are going undetected is absolutely eye-watering.
‘More and more victims of crime are paying the price for the SNP’s continued failure to fully resource our hard-working police officers.
‘It is time for years of chronic under-funding of our police force on the SNP’s watch to stop and for ministers to finally step up and honour their commitment to protect their budget.’
The annual report of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) said the proportion of crimes cleared up – where a suspect is reported to prosecutors – has fallen by 5.3 per cent in the past year.
For crimes of non-sexual violence, 67.1 per cent were cleared up, down from 72.1 per cent, and for sexual crimes the clear-up rate fell from 58.4 per cent to 53.5 per cent.
For crimes of dishonesty – including housebreaking, fraud and shoplifting – only 31.6 per cent were cleared up, down from 37.9 per cent, meaning nearly seven out of ten were unsolved.
The clear-up rate specifically for housebreaking fell from 28.5 per cent to 26.8 per cent.
In the report, SPA chairman Martyn Evans said: ‘At the time of writing, the Scottish Government has indicated that the real terms protection promised to policing for the current parliamentary term will not be delivered. This translates to a substantial real terms reduction in the policing budget and will have implications for the service in the period ahead.’
It comes after the Scottish Government’s spending review said both the police and the SPA should plan for a ‘flat cash settlement’ up to 2026-27, which will not rise with inflation.
Forecasts suggest around 4,400 officer and staff jobs could go over four years.
Deputy Chief Officer David Page this week set out the impact of inflation on the force’s budget, telling MSPs that slashing manpower ‘would make the force more reliant on support from forces in England and Wales at major events’.
He said Police Scotland could become a ‘quasi-paramilitary force where all you can deal with are the most serious incidents’.
Scottish Labour justice spokesman Pauline McNeill said: ‘The SNP must act now to restore stability in policing or we will see more and more crime unsolved and our streets less safe.’
Asked about clear-up figures, Police Scotland reiterated Mr Page’s warnings about the scale of the funding crisis.
The Scottish Government said clear-up rates ‘are at a level similar to those from 2019-20’.
A spokesman added: ‘Scotland continues to be a safe place to live, with the latest statistics showing homicides at an all-time low, in line with the significant downward trend seen in other categories of violent crime over the past 15 years.’
DEATH OF POLICING AS WE ALL KNOW IT
Daily Mail, October 27
DIESEL car drivers are being ripped off at the pumps as the price gap with petrol hit a record high in Scotland.
The cost difference between a litre of unleaded and diesel grew to 25p this week – the largest in recorded history.
It comes as energy giants announce multi-billion-pound profits, while millions struggle to cope with the cost of living.
The Scottish average for petrol is around 165p per litre compared with 190p for diesel, the highest in the UK alongside London, according to the RAC’s Fuel Watch.
It is the largest gap since records began in 2003, when diesel cost only 5p per litre more than petrol.
Filling a diesel hatchback is now around £12 more expensive than an equivalent petrol model, with a 55-litre tank of diesel north of the Border costing more than £100.
Howard Cox, founder of FairFuelUK, said: ‘Billions of extra VAT from high pump prices, notably from the dishonest cost of diesel, is clouding this Government’s decision-making to act on behalf of consumers and alleviate the cost of living crisis.’
The Scottish Government has been urged to take steps to prevent millions of Scots from falling into fuel poverty. Liberal Democrat MSP Willie Rennie said: ‘A simple thing the Scottish Government could do is introduce a price comparison site, allowing motorists to shop around for the best deals.’
Both fuels are subject to 52.95p per litre fuel duty and 20 per cent VAT, but the extra cost of diesel comes down to production and import fees.
The situation has worsened due to the rising cost of oil following Russia’s war on Ukraine. Two weeks ago, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) also said it was cutting production by two million barrels a day.
Simon Williams, RAC external affairs lead, said: ‘Since Opec and its allies agreed to reduce oil supply, we’ve seen the average price of diesel going up by almost 10p a litre and petrol by nearly 3p. Sadly for diesel drivers, the situation could yet get worse, with prices now back above 190p a litre for the first time since the beginning of August.’
Profits at the world’s seven biggest oil firms have soared to almost £150billion so far this year.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Ministers are doing what they can within the Government’s limited resources to help households with the cost of living crisis.’
The UK Government has been approached for comment.
‘The situation could yet get worse’