Crime levels in the Highlands and Islands remain consistent as Covid-19 restrictions continue to be removed
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Police have released the latest statistics on crime in the Highlands, with only fraud offences and road safety incidents seeing a rise.
The force yesterday released its Q3 Management of Information data for April 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021.
These show that the number of crime reports for a range of offences have either stayed the same, or fluctuated only slightly, compared to the same period the previous year.
Overall sexual offences fell from 501, to 494 and within this there were positive reductions for rape and attempted rape, as well as crimes under the Sexual Offences Scotland Act (SOSA).
Police say the detection rates for incidents of this nature have also improved and the division remains committed to protecting vulnerable people from harm, while also bringing perpetrators to justice.
The total number of housebreakings, including attempted break-ins, also decreased from 211, to 149.
Much like the rest of the country Highland and Islands Division has seen a continued and significant rise in fraud offences, with online crime becoming more and more prevalent.
This year, reported fraud rose from 336 in 2020/21, to 454.
While road safety continues to be one of the division’s top priorities, there has been an increase in the various road traffic offences, as well as road casualties.
Dangerous driving reports have risen from 145, to 181, while drink and drug driving crimes have also increased from 338, to 478. There was also a rise of 10 incidents in driving while disqualified.
In total, there were 20 more casualties on Highland and Island roads, which includes two further fatalities and nine more serious injury collisions.
Chief Superintendent Conrad Trickett, Divisional Commander for Highland and Islands Division, said: “Our Q3 data is a snapshot of a period of unprecedented demand for Scottish policing, including the COP26 summit and the continued challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Reflecting on this, I want to thank all of our division’s officers and staff for their outstanding efforts in keeping our region safe for everyone who lives here, as well as those who regularly flock here for tourism and recreation.
“To further assist local policing in the Highlands and Islands, Police Scotland is making significant investment in digital technology for the region, which will enable police officers to create and update crime records on mobile devices reducing the time they spend returning to the office to update systems at their desks.
“This will be of particular benefit to those officers working in remote and rural areas in where they are often mobile and long distances away from their office, in the course of their duties.
“Given all of the demands placed on local policing teams, I am really encouraged to see some positive reductions in crimes such as housebreaking, rape and attempted rape. However, we cannot become complacent and must continue to work in collaboration with key partners to address areas where there have been rises in reported offences.
“With fraud rising across the country due to the growing prevalence of cyber offences, the enhanced investment in cyber investigation, as part of Police Scotland’s Cyber Strategy, is an important step forward in tackling these crimes.”
