As they all gloat over our drug deaths, a clear causal connection between Liverpool drug gangs, extreme violence and the flood of cheap, more powerful, drugs into Scotland is hidden from Scots

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details or by direct bank transfer method – Sort code 08-91-04, Account 12266421 Professor John Robertson OBA The ‘Scottish‘ media above collectively hanging on to our drug deaths sadness and discounting any progress. Utterly ignored by ‘your’ media but in the Liverpool Echo in November 2022, above, and: A series of raids across Scotland last week highlighted the continuing focus of Merseyside’s organised crime groups on the drugs market north of the border. Last week officers from Merseyside Police teamed up with Police Scotland for raids in Peterhead, … Continue reading As they all gloat over our drug deaths, a clear causal connection between Liverpool drug gangs, extreme violence and the flood of cheap, more powerful, drugs into Scotland is hidden from Scots

After 18 years of plummeting crime figures, police recorded AND surveyed by academics, Scots themselves confirm it again – crime IS falling and is far lower than in England & Wales

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details or by direct bank transfer method – Sort code 08-91-04, Account 12266421 Professor John Robertson OBA The above poll results for 31 August 2025, repeat something I’ve noticed for years now – Scots seems significantly les concerned about crime than those elsewhere in the UK. At the beginning of August, the same pollster found a ration of 19 to 11 between the UK and Scottish responses. Why might this be? I’d say it’s a clear indicator that the other two sources, policed recorded crime statistics, large … Continue reading After 18 years of plummeting crime figures, police recorded AND surveyed by academics, Scots themselves confirm it again – crime IS falling and is far lower than in England & Wales

STV simply lie about police numbers in little more than a Labour campaign leaflet, despite 300 more police officers in Scotland since last Labour government, despite a massive fall in crime and 30% more officers than England

Professor John Robertson OBA STV, only 5 days ago had the above inaccurate claims, overtime figures found by the thoroughly discredited friend of Labour, the 1919 magazine, with an extended rant from Scottish Labour‘s Pauline McNeill. The STV report is utterly devoid of reliably sourced facts such as these: From Safer Communities and Justice Statistics Monthly Data Report: July 2025 published today, some key points getting no media attention: There were 16,553 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers in Scotland on 31 March 2025. This was 319 (+2.0%) more officers compared to the position on 31 March 2007, and 197 (+1.2%) more than on 31 March … Continue reading STV simply lie about police numbers in little more than a Labour campaign leaflet, despite 300 more police officers in Scotland since last Labour government, despite a massive fall in crime and 30% more officers than England

Why do Scots think crime is just as high when it has fallen by half?

Professor John Robertson OBA From Safer Communities and Justice Statistics Monthly Data Report: July 2025 published today, some key points getting no media attention: Public perception of local crime rate at a similar level to 2008-09. The SCJS found that over two-thirds (71%) of adults in 2023-24 said that the crime rate in their local area had decreased or stayed the same over the last couple of years. This figure has fallen from 76% in 2021-22 and is at a similar level to 2008/09 and the pre-covid position in 2019-20. https://www.gov.scot/publications/safer-communities-and-justice-statistics-monthly-data-report-july-2025/pages/statistics-on-community-safety/ This is both disturbing and contradictory. Why? From Grok AI: Since 2008/09, violent crime in … Continue reading Why do Scots think crime is just as high when it has fallen by half?

300 more police officers in Scotland since last Labour government despite massive fall in crime and far better staffing ratio than in other parts of the UK

Professor John Robertson OBA From Safer Communities and Justice Statistics Monthly Data Report: July 2025 published today, some key points getting no media attention: There were 16,553 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers in Scotland on 31 March 2025. This was 319 (+2.0%) more officers compared to the position on 31 March 2007, and 197 (+1.2%) more than on 31 March 2024. https://www.gov.scot/publications/safer-communities-and-justice-statistics-monthly-data-report-july-2025/pages/statistics-on-policing/ How much has crime fallen in Scotland. From a Grok AI question: Since 2007, crime in Scotland has significantly decreased, with various sources indicating a substantial decline in overall recorded crime and specific crime categories. According to the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey … Continue reading 300 more police officers in Scotland since last Labour government despite massive fall in crime and far better staffing ratio than in other parts of the UK

Domestic abuse previous – another factor in Scotland’s lack of riots last summer?

Professor John Robertson OBA From the Guardian today, this striking information: Two out of every five people arrested after participating in last summer’s riots had been previously reported to the police for domestic abuse, the Guardian can disclose. Police data released under freedom of information (FoI) laws shows that 41% of 899 people arrested for taking part in the violent disorder last July and August had been reported for crimes associated with intimate partner violence. For those arrested by one police force, this figure was as high as 68%. Previous offences include actual bodily harm, grievous bodily harm, stalking, breach … Continue reading Domestic abuse previous – another factor in Scotland’s lack of riots last summer?

There will be no race riots in Scotland this summer

Professor John Robertson OBA The UK media, above, are clear in their uncritical acceptance of the PM and the Deputy PM’s worries that riots will spread across the ‘UK’ again this summer. There were none in Scotland last year and the evidence remains to suggest there will be none again this year, no matter how hard the ‘Scottish’ media try to find something similar. What really happened and why did it not happen in Scotland? From BBC Scotland on 9 August 2024, in what must be an unauthorised ‘Scotland is the best‘ report by a junior reporter not yet ‘inducted‘: Police Scotland … Continue reading There will be no race riots in Scotland this summer

If Nigel Farage is wrong on ‘UK’ crime, he’s even more wrong on crime in Scotland

Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian yesterday, the above and evidence that Farage is a bit off in his use of statistics on ‘UK’ crime. Will they survive a collision with the evidence here? From May 2025: Crime confirmed as really continuing to fall, based on three sources, to remain at roughly 1 in 10 experiencing crime directly from 1 in 5 under Labour From Safer Communities and Justice Statistics Monthly Data Report: May 2025, published today: Police recorded crime is down 1% since year ending December 2023, and remains below the position immediately prior to the pandemic. The total number … Continue reading If Nigel Farage is wrong on ‘UK’ crime, he’s even more wrong on crime in Scotland

Why American researchers have not chosen Scotland to test if dogs can sniff out knives

Professor John Robertson OBA On BBC Breakfast this morning, the above story and from BBC Devon, two days ago: An American university and dog trainers in Plymouth are researching how dogs could help police find knives used to commit crime. The dogs involved in the research project do not detect the knives themselves but a chemical compound created by the blades when they make contact with human skin. The smell of a knife in contact with human skin has been synthesised into a liquid form at Texas Tech University and the dog trainers use that to train the dogs, said … Continue reading Why American researchers have not chosen Scotland to test if dogs can sniff out knives

Another ‘Scouse’ county lines gang keeping Scotland’s drug deaths artificially high

Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to rtpscott for alerting me to the above. Scouse Jack is not the only Liverpool-based gang whose activities have been clearly identified as fuelling Scotland’s drug deaths. In March 2025, we had: From BBC England, the above and: Five members of a county lines drug gang known as the Scouse Dave Line have been jailed. A total of seven members of the organised crime group, which peddled crack cocaine and heroin between Liverpool, Gosport and Plymouth, were sentenced during the two-day hearing at Portsmouth Crown Court. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd92w0klwy8o When I saw the word ‘scouse‘, I was reminded of … Continue reading Another ‘Scouse’ county lines gang keeping Scotland’s drug deaths artificially high