Police Scotland reveal figures
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HOUSEBREAKINGS in Moray have dropped by 15 per cent.
There has also been a 23 per cent decline in the number of casualties on the roads, according to figures released by Police Scotland locally.
However, figures for April to June, 2015 also show the number of drugs offences have increased in Aberdeenshire and Moray while the number of recorded incidents of domestic abuse has decreased by 12%.
The number of serious assaults has fallen by 12.5% as well as the number of incidents of wilful fire-raising by 7% and vandalism by 47%.
The information published was gathered from policing management data systems and is not official recorded crime statistics, which will be published by Scottish Government later in the year.
Superintendent Kate Stephen said “It is positive to see that the number of casualties as a result of road traffic collisions has fallen by 23% however this is still an area we need to focus on.
“Keeping people safe on our roads is a key priority for Police Scotland and we are committed to influencing driver behaviour.
“In Aberdeenshire and Moray we have Operation CEDAR (Challenge Educate Detect and Reduce) which aims to target road users encouraging them to take more responsibility for their driving.
“As part of Operation CEDAR we have carried out high visibility patrols on roads and in areas we have identified as accident black spots. Our work also includes working with communities and carrying out visits to schools to begin the education on road safety from an early age.
“Communities continually advise us that road safety is a concern for them and it is an area where we are committed to improvement. We do rely on our relationships with members of the public and ask that anyone with concerns contacts us on 101.
“The number of people charged in relation to drugs offences in Aberdeenshire and Moray has increased but this shows the dedication of Community Policing Teams to targeting offenders in this area.
“It also shows the commitment of the teams to act on information provided to them by the community by carrying out warrant activity and intelligence led operations.
“I acknowledge that the figures for assault in Aberdeenshire and Moray show an increase and tackling this area remains a priority for us. Detections for crimes of violence has increased and overall the figures still remain very low. Sadly alcohol continues to play a part in many of the offences and we are dedicated to working closely with partners as well as licensed premises to ensure our communities are safe at night. Operation Sandside is our operation targeting alcohol-fuelled violence whether that be public space or behind closed doors, there is no place for it in Aberdeenshire and Moray and through this operation and daily activity we will target those perpetrators who cause most harm.
“We have also seen an increase in reports of sexual crime in the first quarter; however, I firmly believe that more reported crimes is an indicator of increased victim confidence in reporting this type of crime, that said I don’t believe we can draw any firm conclusions from this at this time.
“There has been a drive over recent years to encourage victims to come forward and a number of these reports are historical in nature but we deal with these as we would any current enquiry. The ‘relief’ which many victims feel on being able to eventually have enough confidence to talk about horrific issues which have happened many years previous should not be underestimated and it allows us to wrap wider partnership support around them in moving forwards.
“The number of domestic abuse incidents has decreased and our priority remains on raising awareness of the issue and supporting those affected in coming forward.”
