Lowest crime rate in Scotland in 48 years welcomed by Midlothian MSP

Midlothian North MSP Colin Beattie has welcomed the latest crime statistics which show Scotland’s recorded crime levels are at their lowest since 1974.

Figures show for the year ending June 2022, recorded crime fell by five per cent compared to the same period last year and has fallen by 43 per cent since 2006-07, when the SNP took office.

The findings are also reflected in the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey published earlier this year which showed 1 in 8 adults were the victim of a crime in 2019/20, significantly less than the 1 in 5 recorded in 2008/09. It also showed that people in Scotland were less likely to be a victim of crime than in England and Wales.

Mr Beattie (SNP) said: “Midlothian continues to be a safe place to live, just like the rest of Scotland with thousands of fewer victims of crime than when the SNP took office. The Scottish Government’s commitment to keeping our streets safe is backed up by increasing the policing budget by £40.5m for 2022-23, bringing the total budget to almost £1.4bn.

Stock photo by John Devlin.

“Under the SNP the number of police has also increased by 3.5 per cent. There are also more police officers per head in Scotland than the rest of the UK with 32 officers per 10,000 population in Scotland compared to around 23 in England and Wales.

“There is of course always work to be done to ensure our streets are even safer and that is why the Scottish Government has made £48m available to support victims over the next three years, putting victims at the very heart of our justice system.”

He added: “Recorded crime across Scotland continues to fall and it demonstrates why it is only the SNP that can be trusted to keep Scotland safe.”