Sex crime spike ‘partially due to Scottish child abuse inquiry’

Sex crimes have risen while violent crimes have fallen, Police Scotland’s latest figures indicate.

The “cruel and unnatural” treatment of children highlighted by the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry was said to be partially behind a 7.2% increase in recorded sex crimes in April and December 2018 compared to the same period in 2017. The ongoing inquiry is investigating the abuse of children in care in Scotland.

Police Scotland recorded 1,795 rapes and attempted rapes in April to December 2018, up 101 (5.9%) on the same period in 2017.

Overall violent crime has fallen 1.6%, largely driven by a drop in common assaults of more than 844 to 43,635 and a fall in serious assaults by 53 to 3,024.

Group one violent crimes, which includes killings, serious assault and robbery, rose by 7.9% to 6,015 with an increase in recorded murders from 40 to 48 and attempted murders up from 181 to 235. Recorded threats and extortion crimes rose by 39% to 340, while threats to publish explicit images jumped from 248 to 415.

Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor said: “While the reduction in overall violent crime is to be welcomed there have been increases in certain crime classifications.

“Some of the increase in non-sexual violent crimes can be attributed to more reports of cruel and unnatural treatment of children attributable to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.” Between April and December 2018 Police Scotland received 1,879,294 calls to report 1,305,892 incidents.

The report will be discussed at the Scottish Police Authority Board Meeting on February 28.