Crime reports down in Renfrewshire and Inverclyde despite highly demanding summer period
Police Scotland officers in Renfrewshire and Inverclyde have continued to support communities over a highly demanding summer period this year.
Figures published today reveal a reduction in some crime categories recorded by the division, compared to the same period (April to September) last year.
The number of domestic abuse incidents recorded is down 10% from 1,600 to 1,431 and reports of violent crime show a slight drop from 207 to 185 while sexual crime reports are down slightly from 293 to 275.
The summer period presented an exceptional level of demand on officers and staff in the area, working alongside key emergency service partners who continue to operate under critical pressure, as communities emerge from pandemic restrictions.
Chief Superintendent, David Duncan said: “Any reduction in crime overall, is of course always to be welcomed, however we are always cautious to view these figures through the lens of the pandemic, and the shift in context this can create, as we return to a degree of normality.
“During that time, and working closely with our partners, a real focus was placed on ensuring that the existing processes to protect those most vulnerable were well maintained and that resources were aligned to preventing crime and reducing risk of harm.
“Examples of this can be seen in the way we adapted new technology to traditional methods of working in areas like child & adult protection, domestic abuse and management of offenders to sustain and consolidate the protections they offer to communities.
“With restrictions affecting retail and the way people interact and shop online, increased emphasis was also placed on reducing financial harm and raising awareness of scams and opportunities for fraudulent activity in the digital world.
“Through increased reporting, we are now more aware of the methods cyber criminals use to perpetrate their crimes and have used this to better understand our approach and preventative response.
“With the potential for crime to have moved to indoor spaces, we are alive to the potential for this to create an opportunity for 'hidden offending' and have worked alongside partners to ensure those most vulnerable are safeguarded and provided with a collaborative service to support them where needed.
“Although we welcome the news that there are fewer victims of crime in our communities this year, we also acknowledge that one victim is still too many and our commitment is to continue to work in collaboration with our partners to sustain this, whilst responding swiftly and effectively to any new or emerging threats affecting our communities.
The Performance Report is published today and will be presented to the Scottish Police Authority Policing Performance Committee on Thursday, 9 December.
