Police handed out more than 15,000 “slap on the wrist” warnings to offenders in just six months, recent figures reveal.
These numbers are in addition to around 17,000 other crimes which were written off under the force’s “proportionate response to crime policy” (PRTC) in the last year.
Accepting a recorded police warning or fixed penalty means that offenders avoid a criminal conviction.
Fixed penalty notices – allowing people to pay a fine to prevent further action – rose by almost 140% in the six months from April to September compared with the same period the previous year.
Data shows Police Scotland dished out 13,541 Recorded Police Warnings (RPWs) – up 7% from 12,657 during the same period last year.
The number of Antisocial Behaviour Fixed Penalty Notices issued during the period rose from 716 to 1699 – or 137.3%.
Together it means fixed penalty fines and RPWs totalled 15,240 in six months.
No investigation of low-level offences
Under PRTC officers are under orders not to investigate low-level offences where there are no obvious leads, witnesses or CCTV footage to reduce Police Scotland’s workload and focus on more serious crimes.
The news comes as critics insist “soft touch justice” is effectively decriminalising many crimes – including Class A drug possession, shoplifting and house breaking – by minimising deterrents.
Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary, Liam Kerr MSP, said the soaring numbers of RPWs being handed down to criminals “sums up the SNP’s soft-touch approach to justice”.
He said: “More and more offenders, some who are committing very serious offences, know they will get off with a slap on the wrist on the SNP’s watch.
“The increase in RPWs is an insult to victims and sends out completely the wrong message.”
Mr Kerr added: “Scots deserve a justice system that prioritises victims, properly punishes criminals and gives hardworking officers the resources to do their jobs.
“Instead, criminals are being let off the hook and community safety is being put at risk due to the SNP’s reckless approach.”
It emerged recently that direct measures have been used for people caught with Class A drugs, as well as in response to lower level street crime.
Warnings were given out 1262 times in 2023/24 – an average of more than three a day – despite Scotland remaining Europe’s drug death capital.
Police Scotland and Scottish Government argue direct measures free up resources for serious crime and focus on prevention, with the force claiming it has saved more than 70,000 officer hours.
Though the force does appear to acknowledge changes to the criminal justice system are fuelling crime among younger people, particularly in relation to shoplifting.
Young offenders
According to a force report, those under the age of criminal responsibility – under 12 – and those under-25 “will be aware of potential criminal justice outcomes for shoplifting and see it as a low risk/high reward crime”.
David Kennedy, general secretary of The Scottish Police Federation (SPF), which represents rank and file officers, has called for measures that “actually deter offending” to support cops trying to “uphold the law”.
He warns cops were “demoralised” seeing serial shoplifting offenders released back on to the streets within hours of being arrested.
Mr Kennedy said: “Frontline officers are seeing first-hand the scale and brazenness of retail crime – it’s organised, it’s deliberate and it’s increasingly violent.
“The reality is many of those being used to commit these offences are young people being cynically exploited by organised crime gangs who know exactly how to work the system.”
He added: “When there is little or no meaningful consequence for theft, crime does start to pay – and that’s a devastating message for society to send.
“Officers are demoralised when the same offenders are arrested time and again, only to be back on the streets within hours.
“It’s not about being ‘tough’ for the sake of it – it’s about having a justice system that actually deters offending, protects the public and supports those on the front line trying to uphold the law.”
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland said Police Scotland remained committed to “robustly tackling criminality” and targeting offenders harming communities.
He said: “We are progressing the next phase of police reform so we can deliver safer communities, less crime, supported victims and a thriving workforce.
“This includes a strengthened approach to local policing which prioritises frontline services, reconnects with communities, and improves enforcement and prevention so we can better meet demand, including emerging threats and challenges.
“By taking a proportionate response to crime and making appropriate use of direct measures such as recorded warnings, officers can focus on addressing threat, harm, risk, and vulnerability in our communities.”
