MSP sounds rural crime warning as new figures reveal clear-up rate of only 56 per cent

Figures showing only a little over half of reported crimes in Scotland are solved is “extremely worrying” for rural communities, an MSP has claimed.

Buckie-based Highlands and Islands MSP Tim Eagle has said that recent figures revealed that only 56 per cent of crimes were cleared up by Police Scotland.

A former police officer himself who served in the North Highlands, he said: "It is very disturbing that almost half of all crimes committed in Scotland are no longer cleared up by the police.

"This is particularly concerning for those of us who live in rural Scotland, especially the farming community, who are being targeted by criminals and are having to install ever-more sophisticated deterrents to protect their vehicles and equipment. We are even getting regular reports of diesel being stolen from farms."

Mr Eagle, who runs a small sheep farm, added: "Farming is a demanding business, and recent changes made to NICs, and the devastating impact of Labour's family farm tax, have made it tougher still.

"The least that we should be able to expect is a commitment to keeping our farmers safe and their essential equipment secure. Unfortunately, the SNP government, which scrapped the Northern Constabulary and centralised the police service, is failing to do that.

"Our police officers do a challenging job extremely well, and we all owe them our thanks, but without the right support they can't do all the things they, and the public, would want them to do. This is why we badly need the politicians who make the vital decisions about resources and funding, to get out of the Holyrood bubble and start taking into account the needs of rural Scotland."

The figures, sourced from Recorded Crime in Scotland, state that the 56 per cent clear-up rate from 2024-25 is a 3.3 per cent decrease from those for 2020-21 and a 0.4 per cent decrease from 2015-16.

According to the statistics, the percentage of non-sexual crimes of violence cleared up by the police has dropped by almost 10 per cent since 2014-15. In 2014-15, 77 per cent of non-sexual crimes of violence were cleared up. However, in 2024-25, this dropped to 68.4 per cent.

Meanwhile, the percentage of anti-social offences cleared up by the police has dropped by 13 per cent since 2014-15. In 2014-15, 92.9 per cent of anti-social offences were cleared up, but in 2024-25 this dropped to 79.5 per cent.

The term ‘clear-up’ refers to a situation where there has been a successful outcome in dealing with a crime.