Police have reported an increase in the number of sexual crimes in Perth and Kinross while the number of perpetrators getting caught has gone down.
Between April 2017 and March this year, 336 victims of a sexual crime, including rape, reported an offence to officers within Perth and Kinross – an increase of nearly 16% from the year before.
In the same time period the detection rate for both sexual crime (14.9%) and rape (5.4%) has fallen from the previous year.
Councillor Sheila McCole described the figures as showing a “worrying trend” when they were reported to council this week.
However Chief Superintendent Andrew Todd, of Tayside Police, moved to quell concerns over the figures saying they could be seen as a “positive” with more victims choosing to come forward.
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Mr Todd said: “The figures aren’t the most important thing.
“An increase can be seen as a positive thing as it is an increase in reports.”
The chief superintendent also explained the reduction in detection rate could be due to the force’s “victim-led” approach.
Mr Todd said there were times when victims reported a crime but then chose not to continue with the investigation because it was “right for the victim”.
The police also told councillors they were experiencing a problem over senior investigating officer numbers but had relocated an inspector to the sexual crimes team.
The Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (RASAC) in Perth and Kinross has also experienced an increase in the number of referrals since last year.
RASAC have said they have had 163 new referrals from April 2018 – a rise of 41%.
A spokesperson for RASAC said: “We know that rape continues to be a particularly under-reported crime, and it is difficult for anyone to know whether increasing reporting rates are a result of more crime being committed or because of increased confidence that people have in the police process.
“Pro-active steps have been taken over recent years to give people that confidence, including a number of campaigns about consent and rape and the establishment of specialist police teams.
“We believe that anyone who has experienced sexual violence should be able to feel confident in speaking to the police.”
They added: “RASAC offers support to survivors whether or not they report to police.
“Our priority is to ensure that survivors have access to the support they want.”
