Crime drops in Highlands and Islands area

Continuing with the trend of being one of the safest areas to live in Scotland, the Highland and Islands Division has recorded a reduction across all crime groups compared to the same period last year.

Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendent Conrad Trickett said: “The pandemic has changed the policing needs of our communities and despite recording reductions in recorded crime, we are not complacent and acknowledge that domestic abuse and sexual crimes remain under-reported.

“We acknowledge that the home is not always a safe place for everyone and we continue to work alongside our colleagues in national specialist units and our partners to detect cases of domestic abuse, violence, sexual crimes and provide support to victims and their families.

“Local policing continues to be supported by specialist and national teams who are delivering a service to our local communities. This can be seen in the work road policing officers are delivering to improve road safety by carrying out operational activity to tackle inappropriate speeds on our roads as well as drink and drug driving.”

The statistics were released on Friday and cover the first quarter of 2021-2022.

Chief Superintendent Trickett added: “We are also seeing results locally thanks to the work conducted by teams such as the National Child Abuse Unit, the Domestic Abuse Task Force and the Major Investigations Team.

“We also continue to focus on tackling the harm of controlled drugs and have conducted a number of operations to target the supply of drugs in our communities. Enforcement alone is not the answer and we are working closely with our partners to signpost vulnerable people towards support services.

“The pandemic has been unprecedented for us all, however the officers and staff working across the Highland and Islands Division have been steadfast in their dedication to keeping communities safe. I want to thank them for their efforts over what has been a challenging period.”

The Performance Report will be presented at the Scottish Police Authority Policing Performance Committee on Wednesday, 1st September.