Crime in the City
I was looking through the Scottish Executive statistical bulletin which was published just last month (Not the most exciting part of my job I have to admit……) And I was struck by the crime figures about Edinburgh.
At a time when everyone believes crime is worse – the figures show it's actually getting better. And that’s not just this year. Violent crime in Edinburgh has fallen for the past four years, down by a quarter in total.
Another set of figures show that Edinburgh, far from being a worry, is in fact the safest of the four main Scottish cities. Police record the number of crimes for every 10,000 people and last year this is what they showed
Glasgow 160
Aberdeen 148
Dundee 134
Edinburgh 133
This chimes with a private sector account too. Endsleigh Insurance say that Edinburgh residents have a 56% lower chance of a break-in than the national average.
So when things are getting better – why do people believe that things are getting worse?
The press play their part, of course, just as they have always done. Over the decades crime has always made a great headline.
But I think there’s something else. We are seeing a worrying growth in low-level street crime – street disorder and anti-social behaviour in neighbourhoods. And that kind of crime is very visible to a lot of people. It’s just a tiny number who cause the trouble – but the distress and fear they cause is out of all proportion. It’s not all young people of course. Adults cause problems too and young people are more often victims than perpetrators.
I believe that the easy availability of drink and drugs are at the back of some of it. New laws about to come in will help Councils tackle excessive drinking. Meanwhile the Council has, from its own funds, paid for an extra 74 police officers to work in communities and help control drugs and curb anti-social behaviour. This is more than any other Council. It takes time, but our experience in places like Broomhouse show it can work
At a time when everyone believes crime is worse – the figures show it's actually getting better. And that’s not just this year. Violent crime in Edinburgh has fallen for the past four years, down by a quarter in total.
Another set of figures show that Edinburgh, far from being a worry, is in fact the safest of the four main Scottish cities. Police record the number of crimes for every 10,000 people and last year this is what they showed
Glasgow 160
Aberdeen 148
Dundee 134
Edinburgh 133
This chimes with a private sector account too. Endsleigh Insurance say that Edinburgh residents have a 56% lower chance of a break-in than the national average.
So when things are getting better – why do people believe that things are getting worse?
The press play their part, of course, just as they have always done. Over the decades crime has always made a great headline.
But I think there’s something else. We are seeing a worrying growth in low-level street crime – street disorder and anti-social behaviour in neighbourhoods. And that kind of crime is very visible to a lot of people. It’s just a tiny number who cause the trouble – but the distress and fear they cause is out of all proportion. It’s not all young people of course. Adults cause problems too and young people are more often victims than perpetrators.
I believe that the easy availability of drink and drugs are at the back of some of it. New laws about to come in will help Councils tackle excessive drinking. Meanwhile the Council has, from its own funds, paid for an extra 74 police officers to work in communities and help control drugs and curb anti-social behaviour. This is more than any other Council. It takes time, but our experience in places like Broomhouse show it can work
posted by Councillor Ewan Aitken at
1:47 pm
