Housebreaking down within Forth Valley
Housebreaking has fallen within Forth Valley as the country continues to see COVID restrictions ease.
Police Scotland has today issued its Q3 Management of Information data for 1 April, 2021, to 31 December, 2021.
This shows that housebreaking and attempted break-ins decreased from 362, to 248 during a period where various members of the public were returning to work and leaving homes unoccupied once again following lockdown.
There was also a positive reduction in motor vehicle crime, with 74 fewer incidents recorded.
One area that continues to see a rise in nationally recorded offences, however, is fraud and within Forth Valley, reported incidents have risen from 540, to 648.
There has also been a slight rise in reports of rape and attempted rape, with six further offences recorded. However, detection rates for these crimes has also gone up.
Road Safety remains one of the division’s top priority and the Q3 data shows that both dangerous driving, and drink and drug driving offences have fallen by seven and 16 recorded incidents respectively. Driving while using a mobile phone crimes have also almost halved and there has been 37 fewer reports of motorists driving without insurance.
In terms of overall road casualties, however, there has been an increase, with 28 more reports of serious injuries having occurred and 14 more slight injuries. The number of fatal collisions recorded fell from eight, to seven.
Chief Superintendent Alan Gibson, Divisional Commander for Forth Valley, said: “Our Q3 data highlights one of this country’s most challenging periods of time for policing, with the significant resources required to support the COP26 summit, as well as dealing with the ongoing issues of the coronavirus pandemic. I believe we have risen to these challenges and, as DCC Taylor has stated, public confidence in policing remains high. I want to thank my officers and staff for their outstanding efforts during this time.
“I fully acknowledge that there are a number of crime types that have risen, when compared to previous periods where the division and the rest of the country were in lockdown or subject to COVID restrictions. I want to reassure our communities that all necessary resources will be dedicated to these issues to address rising crime trends, support victims and bring perpetrators to justice.
“Across Scotland, fraud is still on the rise and DCC Taylor confirmed this reflects the challenging nature of cyber spaces in terms of policing. The Police Scotland Cyber Strategy aims to enhance our investigative capabilities in this realm and the investment of more resource will be of benefit to officers here in Forth Valley, as well as in other regions of the country.”
The Performance Report is published today and will be presented to the Scottish Police Authority Policing Performance Committee. Associated Management Information is available on Police Scotland’s website.
