Lanarkshire records drop in crime by more than 1,600 incidents.
Crime across Lanarkshire dropped by more than 1,600 incidents during the first three quarters of 2020-21, while the number of crimes solved by Police increased by 7% as officers and staff worked hard to keep your communities safe and protect vulnerable people from risk of harm.
Management performance figures for the Q3 period (April to December 2020), released today, also highlight reductions in violent crime, theft by house-breakings and other acquisitive crimes in comparison to the same period the previous year - all of which are key areas of focus in our Local Police Plan 2020-2023.
Protecting people at risk of harm is also a priority, and lockdown has seen a concerning rise in the number of reports of domestic abuse, up by eight percentage points locally. We remain committed to tackling domestic abuse and continue to work with our partners to encourage anyone suffering abuse to come forward to the Police or our partners. Domestic abuse is taken seriously and despite COVID-19 restrictions, help and support remains available to anyone experiencing abuse – you are not alone.
Lanarkshire’s Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendent Alan Waddell said: “There is no question that the ongoing public health crisis continues to influence the needs and behaviours of our communities which has changed the demands on policing. Although I always welcome reductions in crime, I must stress that these figures have been recorded during an unprecedented time and it could be many years before we fully understand the impact of coronavirus on policing generally in Scotland.
“What I can say with certainty though is that our dedication to ensuring Lanarkshire’s communities remain safe places to live and work has not changed, and is reflected in the strong detection rates we continue to record. We are committed to working with partners, listening to the thoughts and concerns of communities whilst gathering information and intelligence to improve the safety and wellbeing of the people of Lanarkshire. Any criminal behaviour that has a detrimental impact on our communities will not be tolerated.”
Police Scotland also published its Performance Report today which revealed that the force received an additional 25,000 calls between April and December compared to the same period last year, taking the total number of 999 and 101 contacts to almost 2 million during the first three-quarters of 2020-21. Our service centres are operating successfully with reduced capacity due to physical distancing requirements, while also coping with increased call demand from the public seeking guidance on coronavirus related issues.
Nationally, large increases in incidents of public nuisance (up 117.8%), neighbour disputes (43.1%) and noise complaints (18.5%) were recorded. Fraud crime also continues to increase significantly as criminals take advantage of the current pandemic - we will continue to issue warnings in relation to scams and ask the public to remain vigilant.
Chief Superintendent Waddell added: “The past year has been challenging for everyone. I would like to thank our communities for their ongoing support, and pay tribute to our partners as our close links have never been so crucial. I would also like to recognise the efforts of our police officers, staff and Special Constables who have continued to play a key role in the national effort to combat the spread of coronavirus, while facing the same personal and professional challenges as their fellow citizens.”
The 2020-21 Quarter 3 Performance Report has been published on the Scottish Police Authority website ahead of a public meeting of the Authority’s Policing Performance Committee on 9 March, 2021. Associated Management Information is available on the Police Scotland website.
