The number of serious crimes has dropped across Renfrewshire as life returns to normal and we head out of lockdown.
Police Scotland revealed this morning that recorded incidents are down against the same reporting period last year.
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The new figures for Renfrewshire and Inverclyde published by the force show:
•Serious assaults are down from 48 to 31 and indecent/sexual assaults are also down by two despite the national picture showing an overall increase of 24.3 per cent when compared with last year and by 17.9 per cent against the five-year average
•Fire-raising incidents are down by 22 against the same reporting period
•There were 12 fewer reports of crimes involving offensive/bladed weapons.
•Total drugs crimes are also down by more than 100 and
•Common assaults are up by 84 more incidents but down from 125 to 95 against emergency workers.
Divisional Commander for Renfrewshire and Inverclyde, Chief Superintendent David Duncan, said: “This reporting period shows the success of targeted and proportionate deployments to those areas concerning our communities the most.
“We have taken action to reverse specific and short-term crime trends and will continue in our efforts to achieve a sustainable reduction.
“Officers and staff work with dedication and commitment and as restrictions relating to the pandemic have eased, they are making themselves visible and accessible to our communities should they need their assistance.
“As Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor said, while restrictions relating to the pandemic continue to have an impact on the policing needs of our communities, the effect is different compared to the same period last year, when the first lockdown had only recently been introduced and the most stringent measures were in place.
“While I acknowledge that Renfrewshire and Inverclyde has recorded a drop across most crime categories, we will not become complacent in our efforts to keep our communities safe.”
Nationally, reported violent crime was up 12.8 per cent year on year but down 2.1 per cent on the five-year average.
The number of people killed in road traffic collisions rose to 24, up from 14 during the same period last year, but down around a third on the five-year average.
Public nuisance incidents reduced by 47.8 per cent year-on-year (from 61,188 to 31,964), neighbour disputes fell by 20.6 per cent (9,413 to 7,473) and noise complaints dropped 25.6 per cent (18,632 to 13,856).
Reported antisocial behaviour incidents fell by 28 per cent (132,012 to 95,037) and complaints of disorder reduced by a third (104,170 to 69,651).
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The Performance Report will be presented at the Scottish Police Authority Policing Performance Committee on Wednesday.
The reports can be found on the Our Performance section of the Police Scotland website at https://www.scotland.police.uk/about-us/our-performance/
