Online hate crime sees slowdown in police clean-up rate

A growth in online hate crime has been among reasons behind a slowdown in the “clean-up” rate of cases by police, it has emerged.

Nearly one in five cases, where an accused person has been cautioned and charged, are taking more than the target 28 days to be processed, research by the Scottish Conservatives has revealed.

The party said that police officers are “overstretched”, which means they are taking longer to submit cases to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). This is now at its lowest level since the SNP came to power 12 years ago.

But Police Scotland pointed to a shift in the kind of cases which officers are dealing with. Online instances of antisemitism, sectarianism and other forms of bigotry reported on social media platforms are a growing issue for police.

The 81.4 per cent of cases that were sent in on time this year is the lowest since 2007, and significantly worse than the 88.4 per cent of 2010-11.

Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said it was evidence of police having too much to do with fewer resources.

He said: “This is evidence of an overstretched police force struggling to meet the demands currently placed upon it. The SNP has cut budgets to the bone, and the consequence of that is it’s taking too long to process these cases. It all means that victims of crime are having to wait even longer for their tormentors to be brought to justice.

“Scotland’s justice system needs to move efficiently and effectively. The SNP is in sole charge of the justice system, has been for more than a decade.” Chief Inspector Chris Stewart, of Police Scotland’s Criminal Justice Services Division, said: “We recognise there has been a slight reduction in the number of cases reported within the 28-day timescale.

“However, the number of reports we submit to the COPFS have reduced significantly over the years as we use more alternative direct measures such as recorded police warnings and fixed penalty notices.

“Also, the type and nature of offences reported to police have become more complex with an increase in use of the internet, social media and mobile phones. Ultimately, this means enquiries and investigations can take longer to complete to ensure all available evidence is gathered and reported to the COPFS.”

scott.macnab@scotsman.com