Crime

Official crime statistics released by the Scottish Government show that Scotland has recently undergone the period with the lowest recorded crime since 1974.

The figures show that recorded crime fell by 13% in the last year, which follows consistent year-on-year drops under the SNP, since 2006/7. Particularly notable among these numbers is the 60% drop in crimes involving the handling of an offensive weapon. The clear-up rate for crimes also increased last year and is now at its highest level since 1976.

The Scottish Government's focus on preventing crime has proven its worth a recorded crime in the Grampian area alone fell by a further 12% - including a drop in non-sexual crimes of violence by 20%. Since the SNP took office in 2007, recorded crime across the Grampian area alone has plummeted by 35%.

The reasons for this success are no surprise, as the number of police officers in the Grampian area has increased by 10% since the SNP took office. This is above the Scottish average and takes the total number of serving officers in our region to 1,512.

This also underlines why recruiting more than 1,000 additional police officers across Scotland has been such an important, and successful, SNP policy. It is thanks to the continuing efforts of these officers and Police staff in the area that this huge fall in crime has been achieved.

Naturally, this drop in crime is great news for everyone in communities across the North-east and Scotland as a whole, and is further evidence that the SNP Scottish Government is moving Scotland forward as a safer country in which to live, work and raise a family.

Not only is crime is at a 39-year low, but fear of crime is down, as the risk of being a victim of crime in Scotland continues to fall, and is considerably lower than in England and Wales.

Community Drugs Summit

Of course, it is not just the police who have a role to play in keeping our communities safe and preventing crime. I recently attended the Buckie Thistle Football Development Community Alert Day. This summit, which took place at Buckie Community High School was aimed at primary 7 pupils who will soon be attending the High School. The event itself comprised information and education sessions from, among others, NHS Grampian, St Andrew’s Ambulance Service, Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service as well as Quarrier’s Carers Support Service and several local organisations from sports clubs to theatre groups.

The truly impressive event gave pupils the opportunity to participate in a range of activities showing them the dangers of drugs, and the alternatives to associating themselves with them.

The comprehensive and engaging advice that the pupils received will be vital in ensuring that our young people know the potential consequences of drug and alcohol misuse, and that they are informed as to how to choose and maintain healthy lifestyles.

I, myself, thoroughly enjoyed attending the Community Alert Day, as did, I am sure, the pupils and the various groups involved.

I sat in on a number of the presentations and it was clear that we have another year-intake of active and engaged pupils who were not only enjoying making friends from other schools but also asking serious questions of the various agencies involved.

Buckie Thistle Football Development and their partner organisations in particular are due immense credit for this initiative and all the vital work they continue to do to inspire and educate in the community.