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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Tracy Carmichael

"Grim" figures show Renfrewshire in nation's top ten crime hotspots

"Grim" new figures place Renfrewshire in Scotland's top ten most crime-ridden areas.

Specialists from insurer A-Plan sifted through figures for Scotland's local authority areas, highlighting Renfrewshire as the country's tenth most crime-ridden local authority area.

The study analysed data from the Scottish Government on the number and type of crimes committed between May 2020 and March last year.

It concluded that "Renfrewshire places as the tenth most crime-ridden area", with 468 crimes reported per 10,000 people.

Crimes of dishonesty, such as theft and fraud, were the most reported in the area, with 2,667 such offences during the survey period.

Non-sexual crimes of violence were the area's least reported crimes, with 260 reports.

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The Tories Shadow Community Safety Minister, MSP Russell Findlay, said the figures reflected the true nature of crime in local communities.

Russell told the Express: "These grim statistics lay bare the extent and nature of crime across Renfrewshire.

"Despite the SNP spin, Scotland has the lowest number of police officers since 2009 which is a betrayal of communities who want to live in peace and safety."

The West Scotland MSP added: "Behind the numbers are real people who often feel marginalised and retraumatised by the justice system which is why the Scottish Conservatives are bringing forward a Victims Law and I would encourage people to complete our online consultation."

Dundee City topped the table as Scotland's most crime-ridden area, with 688 reported crimes per 10,000 people, followed by Glasgow City on 682.

West Dunbartonshire was third highest, with 632 crimes reported per 10,000 people during the period.

A spokesperson from A-Plan Insurance said of the findings: "Protecting ourselves from crime is an essential part of everyday life and this study very interestingly shows that the type of crime committed across the country varies by region. Fraud is reported massively more than any other crime, perhaps due to the pandemic and movement to online crime.

"The research also highlights that no area is free from crime and therefore we need to remain vigilant in all parts of our lives, whether we’re at home, out and about or online."

Police Scotland refused to comment on the figures, saying they only comment on "official" crime statistics.

It comes as the force admitted in their most recent quarter two stats publication, covering July to September 2021, that public dissatisfaction with Police Scotland's service has increased.

The document reveals: "The User Experience survey recorded a drop in the number of respondents reporting that it is easy to contact Police Scotland, down eight percentage points from 75% in Quarter 1 to 67% in Quarter 2.

"Feelings of overall satisfaction have subsequently also reduced by four percentage points to 64% in Quarter 2."

The Scottish Government's Justice Minister Keith Brown yesterday said the Holyrood administration had invested heavily in policing communities.

He said: "Crimes of dishonesty and vandalism both decreased in the last year to their lowest leve since the 1970s.

"We are continuing to back that and other reductions in crime with our investment in frontline policing. We have increased Police funding year-on-year since 2016/17, will invest £1,4 billion pounds in 2022/23 and that amounts to more than £10 billion pounds since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013."

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