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New research has found that the number of sexual cyber crimes which are recorded by police has increased dramatically over the last 3 years.
The release of the new figures has led to the Scottish Government to introduce an expert group dedicated to dealing with sexual crime.
The research suggests that half of the growth in the sexual crimes which were reported to police over the last 3 years is because of the growth in cyber offences.
The analysis shows that the increase in figures comes from substantial increases in crimes such as ‘communicating indecently’ which has risen from 605 to 1,166, and ‘causing to view sexual activing or images’ rising from 299 to 1,030. These crimes now make up 20% of all sexual crimes in Scotland.
Over three-quarters of victims were found to be female, while 59% of victims were found to be under 16. The majority of perpetrators were male.
It was found that in 42% of cases in 2016/17, the victims and perpetrators did not know each other.
Michael Matheson, the Justice Secretary who commission the research, said that he would be asking experts in education, health and justice to help develop new action to protect young people and stop sexual crime.
He said: ‘The sexual crimes research makes clear that more work is required to understand why particularly young males are behaving in this way and to prevent sexual offending. While we have taken considerable steps in this area, such as our recent ‘intimate images’ campaign, the national action plan on internet safety and our ‘Equally Safe’ strategy, I am bringing together an expert group to identify further steps needed to better-tackle and ultimately prevent such offending.’
The research came as it was announced that crime in Scotland dropped 3% last year, to its lowest level since 1974. The figures saw an increase in non-sexual violent crime of 6%, with sexual crimes rising 5%. Crimes including vandalism, fire-raising and dishonesty decreased.
Matheson said that due to the focus that Scotland now has on crime prevention, we are now seeing figures of violent crime fall to half what they were 10 years ago. He said that he plans to build on these figures, and hopes to see Scotland progress further in the years to come. He has asked for a more thorough analysis into the causes of violence, as well as how the factors behind it are developing. He hopes to use the findings to ensure that Scotland sees continued reductions in violent crime, hoping for a reduction in the number of victims, as well as increasingly safer communities.
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