Housebreaking Continues to Fall in Fife as Covid Impact Lessens
Housebreaking and motor vehicle crime has continued to decline in Fife, despite the lessening impact of COVID restrictions affecting recorded crime numbers.
Police Scotland has today issued its Q1 Management of Information data for the period of 1 April, to 30 June, 2021, which shows that the total number of housebreaking incidents, including attempted break-ins, has fallen from 138, to 120, when compared with last year.
Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor said: “While restrictions relating to the pandemic continue to have an impact on the policing needs of our communities, the effect is different compared to the same period last year, when the first lockdown had only recently been introduced and the most stringent measures were in place."
There has also been eight fewer recorded motor vehicle offences reported in the Kingdom.
Nationally, overall recorded crime, including violent and sexual offences have risen and a similar picture has been observed within Fife.
In the division, overall crime has increased by 563 additional reports, while there has also been a slight rise in the total number of violent offences.
However, although the relaxing of restrictions has resulted in an increase in violent offices, Fife continue to detect the vast majority of individuals responsible for committing violent crime.
Also in similar contrast to the national picture, sexual crime has increased in Fife, with rape and attempted rape having risen from 44, to 74 and sexual assault (SOSA 2009) up from 46, 104.
The continued dedication of the division’s Public Protection Unit has, however, resulted in the overall detection rates for sexual offences increasing by over 7 percentage points compared to the previous year, again displaying the commitment in bringing into custody those responsible for these offences.
While across the country, the number of fatal collisions occurring has increased, there has been no rise of such incidents in Fife. One has been recorded this year, which is the same as in 2020. Meanwhile, serious injury collisions have fallen, while there has been a rise in slight injury collisions.
Road safety remains a priority for the division and Road Policing Officers have continued to monitor and patrol the Fife road network, as increased numbers of motorists begin travelling throughout the region once again.
This has resulted in 633 additional motoring offences being recorded, including a rise in dangerous driving, drink driving and speeding offences.
Chief Superintendent Derek McEwan, Divisional Commander for Fife said: “During the pandemic, I was extremely encouraged by not only how Police officers and staff adapted to the challenges they faced when carrying out their duties, but also how the public reacted to and supported our efforts during an extremely challenging time for us all.
“Now that COVID restrictions have been mostly removed, we are seeing an increase in reports of various crimes and while our Q1 data for 2021, may look stark in contrast to 2020, DCC Taylor has already highlighted the difficulty in making a direct comparison, given the level of restrictions we were subject to last year.
“I want to make it clear that Fife is, and will continue to be, a safe place and whenever we identify a rising crime trend, we will utilise all resources at our disposal to address these. We will also continue to work with partners to build on the success we have observed in reducing certain offences.”
The Performance Report will be presented at the Scottish Police Authority Policing Performance Committee on Wednesday, 1 September.
