By Richard Burdge

TAYSIDE CRIME figures have dropped while detection rates have risen, according to statistics released yesterday.

Welcoming the trends, Chief Constable John Vine describes the figures for the last nine months of 2003 as “encouraging”.

“The force’s ability to sustain the pattern of improved performance is evidence of our commitment to making our communities safer,” says Mr Vine in a report to go before the Tayside Joint Police Board which will meet in Perth on Monday.

“Recorded crime is down 4.4% on the same period last year, with over 1000 fewer crimes.”

According to Mr Vine, the policy of targeting a hard core of repeat offenders has been bearing dividends in terms of detection.

“A relatively small number of people in our community commit crime, and of those an even smaller number commit a disproportionate amount.

“The detection of offenders, particularly recidivists, is therefore central to our strategy for crime reduction.

“The overall detection rate for this period was 54.5% compared to 40.3% for the corresponding nine months the previous year—2800 more crimes were detected this period than last.”

On serious violent crime the report notes there was a slight increase of 17 crimes, reflecting a 3.5% rise across the force compared with the same period for the year before.

A reduction in Western Division was offset by increases in Central and Eastern divisions.

“In numerical terms this is a relatively small crime category, but of course the impact on victims is often of the most serious order,” says the chief constable.

“Of some reassurance, however, the detection rate for the force rose from 84% for this period last year to 92% in 2003/04.

“Detection rates of over 90% were recorded in all three divisions reflecting a successful inquiry in nine out of every 10 crimes in this category.”

Also down were domestic housebreaking (30.4%), car crime (34.5%) and vandalism (32 fewer crimes over the period under review).

Mr Vine says that the targeting of people who deal in drugs remains a force and national priority.

“At force level it is not only those middle market dealers but also those who operate at street level often preying on the most vulnerable and impressionable in our communities,” he says.

“The number of crimes reported in relation to drug dealing in the period rose by 6% to 604 offences.

“In terms of large-scale drug dealing the force has in recent weeks recorded a number of major successes, both in terms of arrests and seizures of significant quantities of both class A drugs, our priority, and others, particularly cannabis.

“These cases are currently awaiting the court process.

“On another level, activity in the late autumn under the Safer Scotland campaign saw a number of arrests of those involved in local level dealing in towns across the force area.”

On road policing the statistics reveal a reduction of 22.1% in the number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads in the Tayside Police area compared to the same period in the previous year.

The number killed or seriously injured was 212 compared to 272 for the same nine months in 2002/2003.