Murders halved in Greater Glasgow and serious assaults are down too

Reported crimes of murder have halved in Greater Glasgow and sexual assaults are also down against the same period last year.

There have been 56 fewer crimes of serious assault between April 1 and September 30, 2020 when compared to the previous year and reports of attempted murder are also down from 47 to 38.

Detection rates are up across most crime groups as officers conduct proactive operations to keep people safe.

Reports of carrying offensive weapons are up against the same period last year from 182 to 242 and there have been 16 more reported crimes of threatening to disclose intimate images – up from 47 to 63.

Greater Glasgow divisional commander, Chief Superintendent Mark Sutherland said: “These latest figures reflect our continued commitment to public safety. Officers are visible in our communities, working with partners and using every means at their disposal to keep crime levels down and public confidence levels up.

“Reports of fewer crimes across most crime groups are encouraging but we should remember that, during this reporting period, a significant amount of our time and effort has been directed at meeting the immediate challenges presented by COVID-19. Maintaining operational delivery during a pandemic has been challenging as the virus has taken its toll on our communities and indeed, many of our own staff.

“We have adapted new ways of working and new ways of delivering our services and I am confident that, in spite of having to interpret and enforce some fairly intrusive legislation, we have maintained the confidence and support of our communities, delivering the highest policing standards possible.

“I would like to reassure the people of Glasgow, East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire that we will continue in our commitment to keep them safe with a zero tolerance approach to weapons carrying. We are deploying tactical approaches to prevent people from bringing them into our communities and causing harm.

“I would also like to appeal to anyone in our communities to speak to us if they fear images of them may be used to compromise them. Perpetrators rely on the fear their threats instil in their victims but we can protect you and bring them to justice.”

The Management Information figures released by Police Scotland today show that many crimes are returning to pre-lockdown levels after a significant drop in overall offending between April and June. However, crimes of fraud have increased by 45.4% in the first six months of 2020-21 compared to the same period last year and are 83.4% above the five year average.

Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor said: “Our investment in specialist areas continues to uncover significant additional and, as yet, not fully quantified policing needs and requirements. In September, we published our ambitious cyber strategy which sets a clear direction for how we will tackle the threat, risk and harm from digitally-enabled crimes.”

The Performance Report will be presented to the Scottish Police Authority’s Policing Performance Committee on Tuesday, 17 November