Fraud has soared by more than a third in the north-east and shot up over a quarter across the Highlands and Islands, the latest crime figures have revealed.
Police Scotland’s Quarter Four Performance Report for 2021/22 showed an 18% spike in the number of frauds reported across the whole country.
From April 2021 until March 2022 there were 16,536 frauds recorded, compared with 13,938 during the same period of the previous year.
Across the north-east, cases of fraud rocketed from 1,463 to 1,971 in a huge increase of 34.72% to an extra 508 cases.
And in the Highlands and Islands division, the number rose by 130 or 27.31% to a total of 606 frauds, compared with 476 the year before.
Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor said: “An increase in fraud has been recorded again this quarter and reaffirms that online policing is increasingly a key part of frontline policing.
“Work to disrupt the activities of criminals and protect the public has continued, with £6.46 million of fraud being prevented through the Banking Protocol alone.”
The crime statistics also showed Scotland’s murder rate is at its lowest level since 2013, when Police Scotland was created.
There were 10 fewer homicides (51), excluding culpable homicides, and 26 fewer attempted murders (264) recorded than in 2020/21.
However, across the country, violent crime went up 11.2%.
The north-east’s number of recorded violent crimes escalated 28.83% from 895 incidents in 2020/21 to 1,153 in the latest period.
And in the Highlands and Islands divison, it rose by 14 incidents or 4.01% to 363.
Covid restrictions reduced crime
DCC Taylor said the national figure “measured against a significant reduction” during 2020/21 when there was a 10% drop in violent crime while Covid restrictions were in place.
She added: “The figures published today highlight that the past year has been an exceptional time for policing and the effects of the pandemic on crime continued to be felt.
“A reduction in the number of homicides is welcome but there is more to do in order to tackle violence, including working with our partners to prevent offending,” the DCC explained.
Domestic abuse incidents decreased
The total number of domestic abuse incidents reported to Police Scotland decreased by 2,062 (1.7%) to 63,093, and one or more crimes were recorded in 42.8% of all cases.
Across the north-east, recorded domestic abuse was down 4.4%, from 5,148 incidents to 4,919 incidents, a reduction of 229.
And the Highlands and Islands division recorded 193 or 6.6% fewer domestic abuse incidents, down from 2,912 in 2020/21 to 2,719 most recently.
Shifting demand and vulnerabilities
Reacting to the crime data, DCC Taylor said: “Police Scotland takes domestic abuse very seriously and we have specialist officers who work in communities across the country to tackle these offences.
“The comprehensive review we have commissioned into the policing response to public protection will allow us to continue to adapt and respond to shifting demand and vulnerabilities in this space.”
The report will be presented to the Scottish Police Authority’s Policing Performance Committee on June 7.
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