Serious Assaults and Robberies Down Across Lanarkshire

Lanarkshire has recorded almost 90 fewer serious assaults and 30 fewer crimes of robbery and assault with intent to rob against the same period last year.

House-breakings are also down by 372 against the same reporting period while common assaults on emergency workers are up by 185.

Crimes of threatening/disclosure of intimate image are up from 76 to 102 and there were 356 more crimes of fraud according to figures released by Police Scotland today.

Chief Superintendent Alan Waddell, divisional commander for Lanarkshire said: “While reductions in crime are to be welcomed, I know we are not seeing these across all categories and it may be years before we truly understand the impact the pandemic has had on crime levels.

“For example, Lanarkshire has recorded a significant drop in house-breakings but I expect lockdown has contributed to that by more people staying home.

“The pandemic has undoubtedly influenced the surge in virtual crime and this can be seen from the increase in fraud and online child sexual abuse which is now a national priority for us. The implementation of our Cyber Strategy will ensure we continue to build capacity and capability to keep people safe in the virtual space.”

Police Scotland’s 2021-22 Quarter 4 Performance Report and Management Information showed there were a total of 1,966 child sexual abuse crimes recorded during the year, an increase of 5.9% compared to last year (1,857) and 24.9% greater than the five year average of 1,574.

The report highlights the vital work to safeguard hundreds of children through the enforcement of National Online Child Abuse Prevention packages. It also provides an insight into the effect of coronavirus restrictions on the policing needs and requirements of communities during 2020-21.

The 2020-21 Q4 Performance Report will be presented to the Scottish Police Authority’s Policing Performance Committee on Tuesday, 8 June.