THE SENIOR POLICE commander responsible for Moray has said that new figures show the region to be one of the safest places to live in Scotland.
Chief Superintendent Campbell Thomson yesterday issued a report that shows crime in Moray as having dropped to all-time record lows – while detection rates rose to their highest in years.
The latest report shows that house-breakings decreased by almost one-half in the reporting period from April 2016 to March this year. At the same time, crimes of dishonesty also fell by just over one-third.
Reflecting the work that has been done to tackle ‘acquisitive’ crimes, under the banner ‘Operation Magpie’, the report again shows a small increase in detections of such crimes. Vandalism has also reduced by 17% with detections up 6% – again largely through the efforts of a special initiative, Operation Regard.
After presenting his report to Moray Council the Chief Superintendent said: “Moray consistently remains one of the safest areas to live in the country and the positive figures contained within this report are testament to the work of police officers and staff, the well-embedded partnership working with other agencies, and the continued and appreciated support we receive from the public.
“In many areas, detection rates in particular are the highest they have been for many years. Let me be clear though when I say there is no room for complacency – and that these figures serve as a benchmark for continued improvement.
“We will continue to work hard to make your communities as safe as possible and I would like to take this chance to thank both officers and staff for their hard work.”
Details provided by the Chief Superintendent included the work of the Serious Organised Crime Groups with drug crimes a priority in Moray. In the reporting period, 66 search warrants were executed that resulted in recovery of various drugs with a potential value of £137,000 – 26 people were reported to the Procurator Fiscal.
Chief Superintendent Thomson said: “There is absolutely no place for drugs in our communities and there will be no let-up in our activity to dismantle criminal group’s intent on exploiting the most vulnerable. We will continue to robustly target those who threaten our way of life.
“I would also continue to urge the public to help us as we continue to work together to make Moray a safe place to live by reporting any suspicious activity or concerns you have about any form of crime.
“You can attend at your local police station, phone 101 or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 if you would prefer to remain anonymous.”