Professor John Robertson OBA
From Safer Communities and Justice Statistics Monthly Data Report: December 2025 published yesterday:
Property and violent crime has fallen by 37% since 2008-09.
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%).
Number of victims of homicide at the lowest level since 1976. There were 45 homicide victims recorded by the police in Scotland in 2024-25, a 21% decrease from 2023-24 and a 24% decrease from 2015-16.
Despite, the above:
There were 16,441 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers in Scotland on 30 September 2025. This was 207 (+1.3%) more officers compared to the position on 31 March 2007, and 14 (+0.1%) more than on 30 September 2024.
Most adults feel safe walking alone after dark. The SCJS found that three-quarters (75%) of adults said that they felt very or fairly safe walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark in 2023-24. This is an increase from 66% in 2008-09 but has been stable since 2016-17.
Fall in emergency hospital admissions due to assault since 2015-16. In 2024-25, there were 1,554 emergency hospital admissions due to assault, including 376 due to assault with a sharp object. These were, respectively, 36% and 33% lower than in 2015-16.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 