Scotland's recorded crime rate is at its lowest point ever

In 2017, Police Scotland recorded fewer offences than ever before, with the number of crimes falling by 2% to one of the lowest levels for any 12-month period since comparable statistics have been kept, which dates back to 1974.

According to recently released National Statistics, Police Scotland reported 287,678 crimes in the year ending December 2022 as opposed to 292,316 in the prior 12 months. This is a decrease of 4% from the year to December 2018.

The overall number of crimes reported is still lower than before the pandemic, according to the Scottish government, which notes a long-term trend of fewer victims and residents feeling safer in their neighbourhoods. This trend is also highlighted separately in the annual Scottish Crime and Justice Surveys, including both reported and unreported crimes.

Damage and reckless behaviour (down 10%) and housebreaking (down 38%) were much lower than the year-ending 2018 figures.

The number of violent crimes that were not sexual, which increased by 5% to 69,117, and the number of sexual crimes, which increased by 1% to 14,640, both saw minor increases compared to the year ending in December 2021.

According to Justice Secretary Keith Brown, with recorded crime at one of the lowest levels seen since 1974, Scotland is still a secure place to live.

“Most people do not experience crime, and these latest figures show reductions in incidents such as housebreaking and vandalism compared to pre-pandemic levels. This welcome trend reflects separate research showing people in Scotland are significantly less likely to be a victim of crime than those living in England and Wales. People here also feel safe walking in their communities during the evening.”