Graham Mann: Crime reporter for the “Scottish Sun” published a report on 24 Jun 2025, In it he made a number of allegations including the statement:
“Sex crimes in Scotland have rocketed with a shocking eight rape incidents reported every day. The shameful figures show almost 15,000 sickening incidents were logged by cops in just 12 months, the second highest level on record since 1971. Rape and attempted rape surged by 15% in the past year from 2,522 to 2,897 in 2024-25 – representing a 60% rise over the last decade.
My comment advises caution since Police Scotland, unlike England does not record crime statistics, including sex crimes, by nationality or specific ethnicity of offenders in their standard recorded crime data making detailed analysis by groups like Asian, Romanian, Scottish, English, Welsh impossible. The limitation renders claims about immigration not causing increased crime rates unreliable for verification, as there is no direct evidence to support such claims. The practice highlights the gap between perception and the paucity of available facts, with the evidence being warped toward other more acceptable factors to the Government like “increased reporting” and “socioeconomic conditions.”
Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr MSP commented:
“These shocking rises are the inevitable consequence of the SNP’s savage and sustained cuts to frontline policing. Whether it’s sexual crimes, other violent offences, shoplifting or domestic abuse, the trend is up, and Scotland’s streets are becoming less safe. “
“Worse still, the SNP’s use of diversion of prosecution orders often means criminals are not being properly punished – and therefore not deterred.”
“The increase in weapons being carried by school pupils exposes the epidemic of violence in Scotland’s schools – and the woeful inadequacy of nationalist ministers’ response to it. The buck stops with the SNP, who have undermined our police and left our justice system at breaking point.”
The Recorded Crime in Scotland 2024-25 bulletin shows that total crime remains at similar levels to 2023-24. However, overall sex crimes rose by 3% from 14,484 in 2023-24 to 14,892 in the latest annual tally.
Elsewhere the document reveals shoplifting shot up by 16% from 38,674 to 44,730 in the past year and 57% in the past 10 years.
There was a 50% increase in handling and using an offensive weapon within Scotland’s prison system from 72 cases to 108. And schools were also blighted by weapon-carrying offences with 152 crimes committed – an increase of 11%.
There was a 26% increase in domestic abuse crimes in the past year, 20 serious assaults on police officers and 12 serious assaults on emergency workers in the past year.
Supplying drugs increased by 14% in the past year from 4,223 to 4,802 crimes.
Another disturbing trend is a rise in crimes of indecent photos of children – up 11% from 747 to 828.
Other alarming increases noted in the Scottish Government report include youth violence, weapons in schools and shoplifting.
More positively, levels of non-sexual crimes of violence dipped slightly over the year and continue to be 23% lower than in 2006-07.Serious assault and attempted murder now at their lowest level since 1977.
Justice Secretary Angela Constance admitted ‘concern’ over the rise in sex crimes, adding:
“Violent crime is down significantly in the past 20 years, with serious assaults and homicide levels at record lows. However, we cannot afford to be complacent and I have been consistently clear that any instance of violence is one too many. That is why we are taking a wide range of actions to prevent, reduce and tackle violence, with more than £6 million funding invested over the past three years.”
“I am concerned these figures also show a rise in reported sexual crimes.
Multiple factors lie behind this and our action to tackle sexual offending includes increasing confidence in the justice system so more victims come forward, improving support for victims and modernising the law on sexual offences. “
“Police Scotland has also had a £3 million budget boost to work with the retail sector and the Scottish Government has invested £4.2 billion across the justice system including a record £1.64 billion for policing – an increase of £70 million on 2024-25.”
caltonjock 