Professor John Robertson OBA
From Safer Communities and Justice Statistics Monthly Data Report: July 2025 published today, some key points getting no media attention:
Increase in crime clear up rate. The clear up rate for all recorded crimes was 56.0% in 2024-25, up from 54.1% in 2023-24. Crimes against society (93.8%), non-sexual crimes of violence (68.4%) and sexual crimes (56.9%) continued to have higher clear up rates in 2024-25 than crimes of dishonesty (35.1%) and damage and reckless behaviour (31.0%).
There were 299 111 crimes recorded in 2024/2025, down less than 1% (679) on the previous year.
The 1.9% improvement in the clear-up rate means around 6 000 more crimes were cleared up. That’s a lot of people benefiting from increased efficiency.
The clear-up rate in England & Wales is recorded as only 5.7% which must surely indicate different criteria.
However, the Telegraph, last month, suggested that the clear-up rate in some parts can be as low as less than 1% so who knows.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/06/14/how-britain-stopped-fighting-crime-map-hotspots/
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
I asked AI to,”Compare crime clear up rates in Scotland and England”
Here’s a snapshot of how crime clear-up rates stack up between Scotland and England:🕵️ Scotland: Clear-Up Rates (2024–25)
Clear-up rates in Scotland are calculated when police have enough evidence to justify criminal proceedings—even if no formal report is submitted. Rates can exceed 100% if crimes from previous years are solved in the current year.🚓 England & Wales: Crime Outcomes (2023–24)
England and Wales use “crime outcomes” rather than “clear-up rates,” focusing on how cases are resolved (e.g., charges, cautions, or no further action). The overall proportion of crimes resulting in formal action is significantly lower than in Scotland.⚖️
Key Differences Feature Scotland Eng & Wales
Metric used Clear-up rate Crime outcomes
Overall resolution rate56.0%~6.4% charged/summonedHighest resolution categoryCrimes against society (93.8%)Non-victim-based offencesData sourcePolice ScotlandHome Office & ONS
If you’re curious why Scotland’s rates are higher, it partly comes down to how each country defines and tracks “cleared up” crimes. Scotland includes cases with sufficient evidence even if no prosecution follows, while England focuses more narrowly on formal outcomes like charges.
LikeLike
I asked AI to,”Compare crime clear up rates in Scotland and England”
Here’s a snapshot of how crime clear-up rates stack up between Scotland and England:🕵️ Scotland: Clear-Up Rates (2024–25)
Clear-up rates in Scotland are calculated when police have enough evidence to justify criminal proceedings—even if no formal report is submitted. Rates can exceed 100% if crimes from previous years are solved in the current year.🚓 England & Wales: Crime Outcomes (2023–24)
England and Wales use “crime outcomes” rather than “clear-up rates,” focusing on how cases are resolved (e.g., charges, cautions, or no further action). The overall proportion of crimes resulting in formal action is significantly lower than in Scotland.⚖️
Key Differences Feature Scotland Eng & Wales
Metric used Clear-up rate Crime outcomes
Overall resolution rate56.0%~6.4% charged/summonedHighest resolution categoryCrimes against society (93.8%)Non-victim-based offencesData sourcePolice ScotlandHome Office & ONS
If you’re curious why Scotland’s rates are higher, it partly comes down to how each country defines and tracks “cleared up” crimes. Scotland includes cases with sufficient evidence even if no prosecution follows, while England focuses more narrowly on formal outcomes like charges.
LikeLike
I asked AI to,”Compare crime clear up rates in Scotland and England”
Here’s a snapshot of how crime clear-up rates stack up between Scotland and England:🕵️ Scotland: Clear-Up Rates (2024–25)
Clear-up rates in Scotland are calculated when police have enough evidence to justify criminal proceedings—even if no formal report is submitted. Rates can exceed 100% if crimes from previous years are solved in the current year.🚓 England & Wales: Crime Outcomes (2023–24)
England and Wales use “crime outcomes” rather than “clear-up rates,” focusing on how cases are resolved (e.g., charges, cautions, or no further action). The overall proportion of crimes resulting in formal action is significantly lower than in Scotland.⚖️
Key Differences Feature Scotland Eng & Wales
Metric used Clear-up rate Crime outcomes
Overall resolution rate56.0%~6.4% charged/summonedHighest resolution categoryCrimes against society (93.8%)Non-victim-based offencesData sourcePolice ScotlandHome Office & ONS
If you’re curious why Scotland’s rates are higher, it partly comes down to how each country defines and tracks “cleared up” crimes. Scotland includes cases with sufficient evidence even if no prosecution follows, while England focuses more narrowly on formal outcomes like charges.
LikeLike
I asked AI to,”Compare crime clear up rates in Scotland and England”
Here’s a snapshot of how crime clear-up rates stack up between Scotland and England:🕵️ Scotland: Clear-Up Rates (2024–25)
Clear-up rates in Scotland are calculated when police have enough evidence to justify criminal proceedings—even if no formal report is submitted. Rates can exceed 100% if crimes from previous years are solved in the current year.🚓 England & Wales: Crime Outcomes (2023–24)
England and Wales use “crime outcomes” rather than “clear-up rates,” focusing on how cases are resolved (e.g., charges, cautions, or no further action). The overall proportion of crimes resulting in formal action is significantly lower than in Scotland.⚖️
Key Differences Feature Scotland Eng & Wales
Metric used Clear-up rate Crime outcomes
Overall resolution rate56.0%~6.4% charged/summonedHighest resolution categoryCrimes against society (93.8%)Non-victim-based offencesData sourcePolice ScotlandHome Office & ONS
If you’re curious why Scotland’s rates are higher, it partly comes down to how each country defines and tracks “cleared up” crimes. Scotland includes cases with sufficient evidence even if no prosecution follows, while England focuses more narrowly on formal outcomes like charges.
LikeLike
I asked AI to,”Compare crime clear up rates in Scotland and England”
Here’s a snapshot of how crime clear-up rates stack up between Scotland and England:🕵️ Scotland: Clear-Up Rates (2024–25)
Clear-up rates in Scotland are calculated when police have enough evidence to justify criminal proceedings—even if no formal report is submitted. Rates can exceed 100% if crimes from previous years are solved in the current year.🚓 England & Wales: Crime Outcomes (2023–24)
England and Wales use “crime outcomes” rather than “clear-up rates,” focusing on how cases are resolved (e.g., charges, cautions, or no further action). The overall proportion of crimes resulting in formal action is significantly lower than in Scotland.⚖️
Key Differences Feature Scotland Eng & Wales
Metric used Clear-up rate Crime outcomes
Overall resolution rate56.0%~6.4% charged/summonedHighest resolution categoryCrimes against society (93.8%)Non-victim-based offencesData sourcePolice ScotlandHome Office & ONS
If you’re curious why Scotland’s rates are higher, it partly comes down to how each country defines and tracks “cleared up” crimes. Scotland includes cases with sufficient evidence even if no prosecution follows, while England focuses more narrowly on formal outcomes like charges.
LikeLike