This just won’t do. An SNP MSP, Audrey Nicoll, has just welcomed the latest report on recorded crime with these comments:
It is very encouraging to see the statistics today that recorded crime remains at one of the lowest levels in nearly 50 years and my thanks go out to all in Police Scotland for their hard-work and dedication.
The downward trend we see is a reflection of a police force who are backed by an SNP Scottish Government, providing them with the support and guidance they need to do their jobs effectively.
Under an SNP Scottish Government we have consistently seen Scotland becoming a safer place and while the pandemic will have had an impact on the figures over the last year, we know that recorded crime was going down even beforehand.
I look forward to seeing the measures that the SNP announced in the Programme for Government being taken forward to ensure that we are able to tackle the crimes of the 21st century and continue to make Scotland is a safe place to live.”
Don’t worry BBC Scotland has our back and to stop us getting too positive about our own country, maybe even thinking we could cope on our own, they’ve gone with bike theft and more tasers for the police.
It’s not all wonderful of course:
Hopefully the first fall in sexual crimes is the beginning of trend and not just a pandemic effect.
Full report at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2020-2021/
Talking-up Scotland / Scottish media fact checking is like shooting fish in a barrel 
Reporting Scotland is providing an essential service in identifying those areas where bicycle theft is most likely as with the petrol situation we will all be needing pedal power in the near future .
By highlighting these stories in the current news cycle the BeeB journos are showing up SNP ministers who are backpedaling when it comes to bicycle issues .
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The SNP government on some other ‘bicycle issues’ – just a ‘few’ examples:
1) Road.CC website (13 September, 2021):’ A new scheme launched in Scotland will enable 500 people to obtain bikes through interest-free, no deposit loans from a credit union, in what is billed as the first such initiative in Europe.’
‘Cycling UK has worked with Capital Credit Union and Scotwest Credit Union to devise the Access Bikes scheme, which is funded by the Scottish Government ……’
2) Cycling Scotland’s website (11 March 2021): ‘£1.79 million has been allocated from the Scottish Government active travel budget to support 173 organisations across Scotland.
‘Delivered through our Cycling Friendly programme, 148 employers, community groups, campuses and schools will benefit from funding of over £1,464,000. A further £234,622 was awarded to 13 registered social housing providers and £96,380 was awarded through our Cycling Friendly NHS Worker Fund to enable staff at eight health boards access bikes and support during lockdown.’
3) Scottish Government website (18 June, 2019): ‘… Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson announced that up to £51 million is available for walking and cycling infrastructure in 2019/2020.
‘The record funding has been allocated through the Scottish Government’s active travel budget and will be match funded through applications to the Places for Everyone infrastructure programme, which is administered on behalf of Transport Scotland by Sustrans Scotland.’
4) Scottish Government website (23 May, 2019): ‘Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, Michael Matheson has handed over a wealth of nearly new cycling equipment used during the AWPR GoNorthEast Roads Festival in September 2018 to local organisations, Adventure Aberdeen and Live Life Aberdeenshire.’
5) Scottish Government website (30 Apr 2019): ‘Scottish Government investment of £185,000 to support the expansion of mountain biking. .. The funding builds upon the £1 million invested in the sector by the Scottish Government and by Forestry and Land Scotland last year. It was announced … ahead of the publication of the new Scottish Mountain Biking Strategy.’
6) Scottish Government website (29 May 2018): ‘Following a successful pilot scheme in Falkirk, the Scottish Government is providing £300,000 to set up the Cycling Without Age (CWA) project across the country. Originating in Denmark, CWA encourages volunteers to take older people for bike rides, using specially designed ‘trishaws’. It aims to help socially isolated older people meet others and be physically active.
7) Scottish Government website (08 May 2018): ‘A fund, which supports the introduction of new walking and cycling infrastructure, will be more than doubled, … £36m will be available through the Community Links Fund in 2018/19, the highest amount since it was launched in 2010.
‘The fund has previously helped projects like the cycling and walking path between Elgin and Lhanbryde, a cycle path linking Glasgow City Centre with its southern suburbs, and plans to redesign Stirling Road in Dunblane.’
8) Scottish Government website (01 Jan 2018) – on transport investment over the previous ten years : “We want to see more people walking and cycling with all of the associated health and social benefits, so have doubled our investment on active travel to £80 million. Over 500 kilometres of new walking and cycling infrastructure has been built across Scotland, with over 150 kilometres more resurfaced. Over 230,000 children have received ‘Bikeability’ cycle training to make young riders better, as well as encourage participation into adult life.’
9) Scottish Government website (02 Nov 2016) Cabinet Secretary says: “I cannot emphasise enough the Scottish Government’s absolute commitment to increasing active travel rates. Since 2010, £100m has been invested in the Community Links programme providing grant funding for over 700 cycling and walking projects; all of which are helping to increase the number of people choosing to travel actively on a daily basis.’
One communication challenge for governments is to aggregate and amplify what they achieve. Of course they may almost never be judged by everyone to have done (nearly) enough on any particular substantive issue!
When faced by repeated bias by omission and the perspective by-pass which characterises media organisations like BBC Scotland, the present Scottish Government has a particularly severe communication challenge.
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One in ten bike theft crimes being solved in Scotland we’re told in the BBC Scotland article. For information and perspective, this is from the website of insurer Pedalsure in an article on 2020 (England & Wales?) data:
‘.. a report by the Telegraph earlier this year cited Home Office data showing that only one in fifty bike theft cases are being solved. They claimed that seemingly easy cases are being brushed under the carpet too, even if there are phone recordings or CCTV footage of the crime.’ So one in ten solved in Scotland looks pretty impressive by comparison!
Source: https://www.pedalsure.com/blog/the-worst-place-in-the-uk-for-bike-theft
The insurer Admiral had this article on its website dated 31 March 2021:
‘The number of claims for pedal bike thefts has increased by 66% during the pandemic compared with the previous year (March 2020 – February 2021 compared with March 2019 – February 2020). ‘
‘When it comes to the location of bike thefts being reported to the insurer, London dominates the list, followed by Edinburgh and Bristol. No other place in Scotland is in the ‘top ten’ UK locations which also include Brighton and Cambridge.’
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“No other place in Scotland is in the ‘top ten’ UK locations which also include Brighton and Cambridge.’”
So.
Despite ScotGov’s best efforts to increase bike theft by encouraging cycling with all these initiatives, they’ve failed again.
Only ONE city in the Top Ten? What a bunch of failures!
(I await the good Prof’s reply that, given that Scotland’s population is c 10% of the Yooks, that means we’re holding our own… 😀 )
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Pedalling drugs is now a thing ?
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As I’ve said if you are the BBC and the MSmedia there is always an anti Scot Gov angle to exploit no matter how trivial. The only surprise is they haven’t as yet picked up the increase in sex crimes. I guess they must be keeping this under wraps for a special ‘Disclosure’ programme later in the year just before Xmas and the dark nights to scare the daylights out of women shoppers. That is if there are any toys/turkeys left in the shops.
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Whilst failing to mention that my daughter (currently working in London) has already to cope with 3 high-profile murders of young women around her age. All not far from where she stays.
They (4 young women) recently lost access to water for almost 4 days and went to bed early, dehydrated, rather than go out after 2030h to use the loo in the nearby gym.
Of course, this is anecdotal evidence from only one of their concerned parents. The MSM would never investigate the case, let alone run with it as a story. Would they?
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