Stevenson Hails Extra Police and Lowest Crime Rate in Almost four Decades

Banffshire & Buchan Coast MSP Stewart Stevenson has hailed the Scottish Government's focus on preventing crime, as official figures showed that recorded crime in the Grampian area - and across Scotland - has plummeted for a sixth consecutive year.

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Between 2011/12 and 2012/13, recorded crime in Grampian fell by a further 12% - including a drop in non-sexual crimes of violence by a fifth. Since the SNP took office in 2007, recorded crime across the region has fallen by 35%.

Last week it was revealed that the number of police officers in the Grampian area has increased by 10% since the SNP took office, more than the Scottish average and taking the total to 1,512.

Commenting, Stewart Stevenson said:

“These crime statistics show just why the additional police officers the SNP have delivered in government are so important.

“Recorded crime has fallen in the Grampian area by 12% in the space of just a year and by 35% since the SNP took office.

“That fall in crime has only been possible thanks to the incredible efforts of police officers across the area, and shows why recruiting more than 1,000 additional police officers across Scotland has been such an important SNP policy. In Grampian, the number of police officers has increased by 10 per cent since the SNP took office - even more than the Scottish average.

“The SNP delivered the extra police officers that are driving down crime for people in the North-east."