The amount of crime in the Renfrewshire area has dropped by 3.9 per cent in the first six months of this financial year compared to the same period in 2013/14.
A total of 4550 crimes were reported to police in the Renfrewshire area from 1st April to 30th September 2014 according to the latest Police Scotland Management Information Statistics for Quarter 2 (2014/15).
Significant reductions have been made across a number of areas including violent crime, housebreaking and transport related crime.
Domestic abuse continues to be an area of concern with 1178 incidents recorded, an increase of 15 on last year.
A breakdown of the first six month recorded management figures for Renfrewshire includes:
- Violent crime has decreased by almost 5 per cent, down to 135 incidents.
- Sexual crime has decreased by just over 4 per cent with 136 sexual crimes reported to police, detections of sexual crime increased by 18.4 per cent.
- Housebreaking dropped by 43 per cent down to 266 reported incidents including attempted break-ins.
- A total of 18,059 searches were made of which 4335 were positive
- Total number of drugs crime up by 18 per cent however there was a decrease of 11 per cent in the actual supply and production of drugs
- Vandalism down by 10 per cent to 753
In addition road offences have seen a reduction, with a total of 127 people injured on Renfrewshire Roads, of which 2 were fatal, representing a drop of 50 per cent and two respectively.
Chief Superintendent Alan Speirs, Local Policing Commander for ‘K’ Division, said:
“These latest figures are encouraging and reflect the good work undertaken by police officers and staff across the Renfrewshire area.
“Violent crime has dropped, as have the number of offences for carrying a weapon or bladed instrument, which I hope will give people confidence that our streets are becoming safer.
“Drugs in the community is one of the main priorities for ‘K’ Division and although there is still further work to accomplish, local officers have arrested and reported more people for being in possession of drugs (24 per cent increase) in the first six months of this year. We will however continue to tackle all aspects of drugs crime in an attempt to rid our communities of drugs and the harm and misery that they bring.”
“Road safety is of great concern for people living in the Renfrewshire area and although road offences have significantly dropped, the number of people who are victims of irresponsible driving is still far too high. Road safety remains an area of priority for police and I’m sure by tackling offending behaviour with proactive policing around enforcement and with the introduction of the new drink driving legislation which comes into force today, we will continue to make a real impact in the months to come.“We remain committed to keeping people safe across Renfrewshire and will continue to consult with the people who live in Renfrewshire, local authorities and other third parties to tackle crime and help make Renfrewshire a safer place to live.”