What is happening to crime in Scotland, these days?

It’s surging pal, they shout!

How dae ye ken?

Ah read in the…I heard it on the…..

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Police Scotland Freedom of Information Response reference:  FOI 26-2314 published today, the above answer to

Could you please tell me how many civilian staff are employed within Police Scotland as of 30/7/26? – As at 31 July 2026 the police staff headcount was 6,333.

Could you please advise the year on year figures of employed civilian staff from the start of Police Scotland in 2013?– The table above provides the year-on-year headcount for police staff from year end of each financial year since formation of Police Scotland in 2013/14.

Source: https://www.scotland.police.uk/access-to-information/freedom-of-information/disclosure-log/disclosure-log-2026/august/26-2314-resources-police-staff-annual-figures-recruitment-process-2013-td/

One-year variations are meaningless indicators of trends but 3 year averages are useful, so I’ve added those to the table above to reveal a steady increase by 432 staff or 7% over the 15 years since Police Scotland was created.

How has their workload, ie recorded crime, compared over those same years? It hasn’t despite major excitement in press rooms over the one-year increase last year.

So, using again the more meaningful 3 year averages, overall crime in Scotland is on an ever so slightly downward trend, 0.7%, in the period in which staffing has gone up 7%.

Wouldn’t it be great if the wee lads and lasses at the media operating in Scotland could dae thae sums. Maybe the lads and lasses at Pisa are right…but just for journalists?

Sources:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2022-23/documents/ https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2025-26/documents/

I know, violent crimes are surging. Recorded violent crimes have increased in Scotland but these recorded crime figures are not a clean measure of prevalence and, rather, may be due to better recording, new offence categories, more victims coming forward and a growth in non-contact online offences. https://cy.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/sexualoffencesinenglandandwalesoverview/latest

Help Talking-up Scotland keep goin

Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going

Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421