People in the north and north-east lack confidence in police preventing crime or catching criminals, a major public survey revealed today.
Senior officers are being urged to do more to find out the views of crime victims to help restore public faith.
But the results of the survey were branded “disturbing” and “shocking” last night by opposition MSPs.
Police chiefs said the figures released by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland (HMICS) do not give a full picture of how their officers are performing.
The figures revealed that 55% of 1,297 people who took part in a telephone poll conducted by Grampian Police did not have faith in the force to stop people breaking the law – and 43% said they did not have confidence in the force to solve crime.
In Tayside, 50% of 1,223 adults questioned did not have confidence in their force preventing crime, and 36% did not think officers were effective in solving cases.
In Northern Constabulary’s area, 45% of 1,620 questioned did not have confidence in the force to prevent crime and 44% did not have faith that crimes would be solved.
The report by HMICS showed that 54% and 47% of 16,000 people interviewed by Scotland’s eight forces had no confidence in officers preventing and solving crime respectively.
It also said more had to be done to “capture” the views of victims to boost public confidence.
Politicians blamed the Scottish Government’s “weak” justice system and police budget cuts.
Buchan shopkeeper Mark Kindness said many in rural communities “feel short-changed” by police.
He said it took Grampian Police five days to visit and take a statement on a theft from the shop last month. It would not have happened in Aberdeen, he claimed.
Labour justice spokes-man Richard Baker said the HMICS findings were “disturbing and unacceptable”.
He accused Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill of being “hell bent” on weakening the justice system.
The north-east MSP said: “Kenny MacAskill’s decision to scrap six-month sentences and the huge expansion in fiscal fines for even violent offences is not what the public want to see. The SNP's complacent attitude to major crime issues such as knife violence also helps to diminish publish confidence.”
Mr Baker said police forces such as Grampian had been forced to scale back recruitment due to SNP-enforced budget restrictions.
Conservative community safety spokesman John Lamont said the SNP’s “soft-touch” justice sent the wrong message to the public.
“We pushed the government for 1,000 extra police officers as a vital first step but there is much more to be done,” he added.
Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Robert Brown described the findings as “significant and worrying”.
“Protecting those at risk of crime and reassuring local communities is the key to building public confidence in the police,” he said.
Grampian, Northern and Tayside forces said the survey did not reflect public confidence in their areas.
Grampian Joint Police Board convener Martin Greig said: “The conclusions in this report are misleading because they do not reflect the high performance of the force. Over the last four years there has been a reduction in crime levels and detection rates have gone up.
“Officers are well trained and highly motivated to keep communities safe – it is a force to be proud of.”
Tayside Police said crime in the region is at its lowest level for a decade.
Northern Constabulary Chief Constable Ian Latimer said the survey showed his force enjoyed the highest confidence levels in Scotland. “Crime rates continue to fall across the Highlands and islands and detection rates remain among the highest in the UK,” he added.
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said crime is at the lowest level for 30 years and a record number of police were on the streets.
He said the survey shows the majority of Scots have confidence in the police.
“Grampian Police’s own user survey showed 86% were satisfied,” he added