Drop in Tayside crime overall — but robberies and house-breaking up
Crime is falling in Tayside but robberies and house-breaking are on the rise, the latest police performance review has revealed.
A Tayside Police car on patrol.
- By Bruce Robbins
- Published in the Courier : 28.09.10
- Published online : 28.09.10 @ 04.06pm
Deputy Chief Constable Bill Harkins said that overall crime figures were down by 4% over the review quarter.
However, in a report to the joint police board's corporate governance sub-committee, it was revealed that there were five more robberies recorded — an increase of about 13%.
Domestic house-breaking went up by 45% (82 crimes) and the detection rate fell from 31% to 25.5%.
Mr Harkins told the meeting that the overall drop represented 170 fewer victims of crime over the three months from April to June.
The detection rate was down from 48% for the same period last year to 44.5%.
Vandalism was down almost 12% over the same period with almost 200 fewer crimes reported.
The detection rate of 34% was the best ever recorded in the history of the force.
Although robberies increased, the 71% detection rate was another "best" for Tayside Police.
Mr Harkins said of the performance review, "It's full of good news, really.
"The rate of increase in domestic house-breaking is slowing.
"We have had a number of arrests of serial house-breakers and we should see an increase in detection rates as well."
The review also revealed that a survey of the public showed that 93% of people were either "very satisfied" or "satisfied" with their contact with officers.
However a "significant reduction" — 75% to 58% — was recorded in the percentage of people who had recently seen an officer patrol their neighbourhood.
The force bettered the national target for 999 call response times.
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