Scottish crime rate drops but theft is up

Recorded crime in Scotland has dropped to its lowest level in nearly 30 years, according to official statistics.

This year has seen an overall 2 percent decrease in recorded crime in the country, lowering rates to those last seen in 1980.

However, despite these results, Scotland has seen a smaller decrease in crime than England and Wales, where crime rates have fallen almost 5 percent.

Some areas of Scotland have seen greater improvements than others, with Dumfries and Galloway police force recording an 11 percent drop in reported crime. Conversely, in Lothian and Borders there has only been a marginal change.

Violent and sexual crimes in Scotland have been falling for the last two years, but crimes such as theft and housebreaking have risen for the first time since 1998. Lothian and Borders police have seen a 25 per cent rise in shoplifting this year, a figure which has been attributed to the current economic climate.

Strathclyde police have seen a steady rise in shoplifting over the last few years but have also experienced a 6 percent decrease in violent assault this year.

A spokesperson from the Strathclyde police force said that these numbers might be a result of “a reduced night time economy due to the credit crunch.”

Although the extent of the current economic climate’s effect on crime in Scotland is unclear, so far figures seem to be following a similar trend to those during the recession of the 1990s.

The publication of the Scottish Crime and Victimisation Survey next month will provide more precise figures, giving an indication of how many more crimes are going unrecorded.