Crime on the increase in Moray
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THE Scottish Government has been called upon to act as new figures show crime has shot up in Moray – with major concern over a surge in sex crimes.
The crime rate in Moray jumped by six per cent over the year to March 2019 despite a downward trend over the last decade in crimes recorded nationally, official figures for the Scottish Government showed.
Sexual crimes throughout Scotland rose to the highest level seen since records began in 1971 – and spiked by 11 per cent in Moray over 2018-19.
Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston spoke out after the The Recorded Crime in Scotland 2018-19 bulletin showed incidents of recorded crime in Moray had risen by six times the national average over the year.
The Scottish Conservative said: "Residents in Moray will share my concern that in the last recorded 12 months there were 2,640 crimes across our area – which was an increase of six per cent. That’s much higher than the rise experienced across most of the rest of Scotland.
"I am particularly concerned that reported incidents of sexual crime are up by 11 per cent in just 12 months.
"We think of Moray as an area relatively free of crime – so this should be a wake-up call to Scottish Government ministers whose neglect of Moray now seems to extend to practically every area they are responsible for.
"The police deserve the support of the whole community but, ultimately, it is up to the SNP Government to provide our local officers with the support and the resources they need to carry out their responsibilities.
"However, these results make very clear the problems local police are facing, and that the SNP Government in Edinburgh needs to do far more to help our police tackle this upsurge in criminal activity."
Moray SNP MSP Richard Lochhead said: "Any increase in such offences incidents is, of course, a big concern. However, it is important to note that Police Scotland believes that a key reason why the number of incidents has increased is because people are more likely to report sexual crimes than may have previously been the case.
"The impact on victims of sexual or violent crimes can be absolutely devastating. It’s therefore vital that victims of these kind of offences feel confident about coming forward and that these offences will be taken seriously by the police and wider justice system.
"Right now the SNP Government is taking steps to strengthen the way in which the justice system supports victims, as well as investing in law enforcement and crime prevention initiatives."
The total number of crimes recorded by the police in Scotland in 2018-19 was 246,480. This is 1 per cent higher than the level recorded in 2017-18.
Sexual crimes accounted for 5 per cent of all crimes recorded in Scotland in 2018-19. The number of sexual crimes recorded by the police in Scotland increased by eight per cent from 12,487 in 2017-18 to 13,547 in 2018-19.
In Moray, non-sexual crimes of violence jumped by seven per cent in the 12 months, sexual crimes by 11 per cent, crimes of dishonesty by four per cent, and crimes such as fire-raising and vandalism by two per cent. There were 96 incidents of non-sexual crimes of violence, 245 sexual crimes, 881 crimes of dishonesty, and 572 crimes of vandalism and fire-raising.
In response to call from opposition MSPs for more police funding in the wake of the figures, Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has announced a 16-month study to look focus on Scots who experience repeat incidents of violence.
Police Scotland believes increased reporting could partly explain the increase.
Superintendent Kate Stephen, of North East Division, said: "Over the past year police officers, police staff and special constables have continued to adopt innovative ways of working to help keep people safe in our local communities, and often when faced with the most challenging of circumstances.
"Tackling both violent and sexual crimes remains a priority as both are equally as unacceptable and devastating for the victims involved. Tackling and reducing violent crime is key and we continue to work with our partners to understand violent behaviour and deliver preventative and diversionary projects to reduce violence in our communities.
"In relation to sexual crimes, it is crucial that victims feel confident coming forward to police and whilst there has been an increase in reports of both recent and non-recent sexual offences we also continue to pro-actively identify victims of sexual crime, ensuring that all investigations are carried out consistently and to a high standard regardless of when the crime occurred. We are also committed to working with third sector organisations to ensure a victim-focused approach.
"Figures like these serve as a benchmark for continued work and improvement. This can only be achieved by the commitment of all our officers, staff and special constables, as well as continued support from communities themselves to ensure we deploy and respond to the right places at the right times."
