Detections rise for serious assault and robbery in North East

More people are being detected for committing serious assault and robbery while road policing enforcement across the North East continues, according to the latest report.

Police Scotland’s commitment to improving road safety remains high, with more than 752 incidents recorded in the North East compared to the same period in 2020/21.

The Quarter 4 Performance Report has been released for the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022.

Detections for serious assault are up to 93.5 per cent and robbery detections have also increased to 86 per cent.

The figures are set in the context of comparison with policing during COVID-19, making meaningful comparison with previous years’ complex.

Officers in the North East have been raising awareness about hidden harms that were dominant during the lockdown periods such as domestic abuse, human trafficking, adult protection, serious sexual offences and child protection.

Chief Superintendent Kate Stephen, Divisional Commander for the North East, said:

“The full implications of the pandemic on crime rates, offending patterns and general policing are still to be fully established, however this latest data reflects the impact the pandemic had, and continues to have, on crime rates across the country.

“The widely recognised potential for delayed demand resulted in more frequent partnership meetings across areas of public protection and ensured that not only the police, but all partners involved in providing support to victims, were aware of the trends as restrictions relaxed and we were collectively better placed to respond as demand increased.

“I would encourage people to continue engaging with us, whether that’s talking to officers on the street or using our surveys to give us meaningful insight to help shape local policing.”

The new public service counter at Marischal College means members of the public can now access multiple public services under one roof.

A cyber-enabled crime team has also been established to help tackle online crimes such as fraud.
Police Scotland’s Quarter 4 Performance Report shows a continued increase in fraud across the country against the last reporting period and reaffirms that cyber enabled or dependent crime is increasingly a key part of frontline policing.

Work to disrupt the activities of criminals and protect the public has continued, with £6.46 million of fraud being prevented through the Banking Protocol alone.

The report is published today and will be presented at the Scottish Police Authority Policing Performance Committee on 7 June.