Police Scotland has issued a report on its performance which will be presented to the Scottish Police Authority next week, showing that a combination of demand for policing and a reduction in the number of police officers and staff is having an adverse effect.
The police force received around 600,000 calls with more than 420,000 incidents recorded.
Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs said: “Police Scotland’s funding allocation this year represents a real terms reduction and as a result the number of police officers has reduced to around 16,600.
“This is a challenging time for our officers and staff. They are being asked to respond to increasing and increasingly complex community and individual needs, which is evidenced by a higher number of calls to Police Scotland.
“The report also makes clear that combating cybercrimes, such as online child sexual abuse, pose extremely significant challenges, and the vast majority of frauds have an online or cyber element. Our Policing in a Digital World programme supports our commitment to keeping people safe wherever they live and work.
“Hard choices are being taken to maintain effective policing within the funding available. Action is being taken to achieve savings, however, areas which encounter the greatest demand and which carry the greatest risk in keeping people safe, are being prioritised for resources to ensure policing continues to address harm and protect the vulnerable.
“All 17 homicides recorded in the first three months of 2023-24 were detected. This continues Police Scotland’s exceptional performance, and commitment to the families of victims, in this area.
“Our pro-active action to disrupt the activities of those involved in serious organised criminality is welcomed. During the reporting period millions of pound worth of illegal drugs including street Valium tablets were seized.
“The number of attempted murders and serious assaults has seen a decrease compared to last year and the five-year mean.
“I am pleased that we can report that our national roll-out of Naloxone is now complete and 12,500 of our officers are now equipped with the life-saving nasal spray. It has been administered on more than 300 occasions, and contributes to the partnership approach to helping prevent the harm caused by drugs.”
The full report has many numbers and a great deal of data. Below we list just some of the figures which stood out for us about the capital, and which no doubt will be discussed more fully when Sean Scott, the Divisional Commander of Police Scotland for Edinburgh, next reports to the council.
In Edinburgh the number of murders during the period 2023/24 rose by 14 on the previous year’s total of 263, but there were fewer attempted murders or serious assaults. The number of rapes recorded rose by 1 to 50 while the number of rapes detected rose from 162 in the previous year to 209. Incidents of housebreaking recorded rose from 3,806 to 3,946 with detection levels at around 19%. The number of assaults on emergency workers fell by 1 since last year at 171 and the number of mobile phone offences recorded fell from 119 the previous year to 106.
The Scottish Police Authority meeting about Policing Performance takes place online on 12 September 2023 at 10am. The link to the meeting is here.
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