Police Scotland have published information detailing the numbers of crimes committed in different areas of Scotland.

The information, gathered from policing management data systems, is not official recorded crime statistics but indicates that:

In Midlothian, sexual offences reported in 2013/14 fell by around 11% when compared to 2012/13. There were also six fewer rapes reported in the area in the past 12 months and the detection rate for this crime was 88.9%. However, crimes of dishonesty, including common theft, shoplifting, house-breaking and motor-vehicle related theft, were up 13.4%.

In East Lothian, violent crime decreased by 7.1%, with 78 such crimes reported in the past year as compared to 84 in the previous 12 months. There was a 12.5% decrease in robberies compared to last year, while there was a small increase (5.1%) in the number of casualties on the roads and crimes of dishonesty were up 12.3%.

In West Lothian, 36 fewer assaults were reported in the past year across the Lothians and Scottish Borders and that, in West Lothian specifically, serious assaults decreased by 9.9%. There were 82 serious assaults recorded in West Lothian in 2013/14, compared to 91 in 2012/13.

Deputy Chief Constable Local Policing, Rose Fitzpatrick said:

“In Police Scotland's first year, overall crime has fallen and crimes of violence have decreased by 10 per cent. This is because we are focused on keeping people safe and our policing priorities are shaped by what the public tells us is important to them, supported by our own detailed analysis and assessment.
 
“The creation of a single policing service has been the most significant change anywhere in the public sector in Scotland. It has enabled us to keep local policing at the heart of what we do while removing old boundaries to ensure that no matter where or when it is required, local communities get the policing resource they need.
 
“When Police Scotland was created we put in place a new data collection system to ensure consistent recording of management information and establish a baseline for future comparisons. This enables us to identify trends and issues and respond to them quickly, in line with the priorities set for us by local communities.
 
“The release of this management data today, showing levels of reported crimes and incidents across the country, demonstrates our commitment to making as much information as possible available to the public.”

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