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Statistical Bulletin CrJ/2002/1 Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2001
7. Number of crimes and offences recorded by police force area ( Tables 4a, 4b and 5 of Appendix)
7.1 Five of the eight police forces showed an increase in the total number of crimes recorded in 2001 when compared with 2000: Central and Northern (both up 4 per cent), Fife (up 3 per cent) and Strathclyde and Tayside (both up 1 per cent). (Tables 4A and 5). The increase in Strathclyde is entirely due to improved police recording of minor crimes of vandalism. All forces show a rise in "other crimes", (which includes drugs) which reflects pro-active police campaigns against drugs, including the "Know the Score" campaign.
7.2 In contrast, Dumfries & Galloway, Grampian and Lothian & Borders all showed a decrease (by 1 per cent, 8 per cent and 5 per cent respectively).
Chart 5 Total number of crimes recorded per 10,000 population in 2001 1 by police force area
1. The mid-year population estimate for 2000 was used since, at the time of publication, the 2001 estimate was not available.
7.3 Strathclyde police recorded the highest crime rate of all forces - at 901 crimes per 10,000 population - and the second highest rate was in Lothian & Borders, at 871 crimes per 10,000 population. Northern Constabulary still recorded the lowest number of crimes per 10,000 population (494) in spite of the 4 per cent increase in recorded crime between 2000 and 2001 in that area. Crime rates for force areas include offending by non-residents as well as the resident population. Thus, the high rate of motor vehicle offences recorded in Dumfries & Galloway, (929), which is much higher than the Scottish rate (708), may reflect the volume of traffic on trunk roads through the area. In addition, the crime rates will reflect local initiatives within forces, which affect the reporting and detection of crime from one period to the next (Tables 4B and 5).
7.4 In 2001, the Scottish forces had widely differing clear-up rates for crimes, partly reflecting the different characteristics of the areas, the profile of crimes committed within each force area and the success of special efforts at targeting specific crimes. The rates varied from 37 per cent in Grampian and Tayside, 44 per cent in Strathclyde and 46 per cent in Fife and Lothian & Borders to 52 per cent in Dumfries & Galloway, 63 per cent in Northern Constabulary and 65 per cent in Central.
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