SEVEN INDICATORS OF antisocial behaviour, violence and disorder in Moray are on the increase, according to a report being put before Moray Councillors this week.
However, five indicators show a fall – including a 21% drop in robbery and a 79% drop in the number of instances of public drinking in the street.
While the number of robberies fell the detection rate for that crime has also fallen by 11.4%. Serious assaults are on the increase by 28.2% in the period April to December 2016, while instances of common assault also rose by 9.8%.
More serious crimes of violence, which include murder and attempted murder, also saw an increase of 11.8% with a 4.4% fall in the detection rate.
The figures are released in the latest report to the Police, Fire and Rescue Services Committee which will consider the input from senior officers on Thursday.
They show much better results in the area of ‘acquisitive’ crimes, with a 35.8% fall in common theft and 39.8% fall in the number of housebreaking when compared to the same period in 2015. Dishonesty fell by 30.9% and motor vehicle crime by 32.1%.
The only ‘red line’ in the acquisitive police figures are a 4.2% fall in the detection rate for housebreaking – although those for all other such crimes did show an increase.
A worrying aspect of the report is the 40.8% increase in ‘Group 2’ crimes – those that involve rape, indecency and sexual assault – with a 15.7% fall in their detection. While there was a specific 5.2% decrease in the number of rape crimes recorded, there was also a slight decrease in those detected.
The report notes: “Sexual Crimes have shown a continued increase this year – this picture is mirrored across Scotland and is in part due to an increased confidence by victims to report these crimes. There remain challenges in this area and we continue to dedicate resources to tackle these serious issues.
“An ongoing and well established strategic action plan to tackle this crime type is in place. This includes the use of local ‘champions’ to support operational activity and robustly oversee investigations, local support of National campaigns and the use of analytical data to identify trends and emerging issues.
“We are also working closely with partners to ensure our Service Delivery is victim focused and that offenders are robustly dealt with. In this digital age, we have seen an increase in offences linked to the use of on-line media involving people from all ages.
“We are working with partners, parents and schools to provide education and on-line safety within the home. Our Divisional work is further supported by National resources to deal with more complex cases.”
Drugs Crime
A more positive report is given on drugs crime – including a 146.6% in ‘proceeds of crime’ seizures which totalled almost £78,000 compared to £32,000 the previous year.
Drugs possession and supply offences increased by over 30%, prompting the report to comment: “During this reporting period we have almost doubled our proactivity and detection in respect of tackling Serious and Organised crime in Moray with a focus on those involved in the supply of drugs within our communities.
“We are determined to make Moray a hostile environment for those involved in the sale and supply of controlled drugs.”
The full Police report to the committee can be download from the Moray Council website.