As the UK Ministry of Justice prepares for summer riots how only Scotland has the lower crime levels, the complete absence of riots previously, lower levels of background racism and the police staffing levels to be able to help other countries

By Professor John Robertson OBA From the Guardian today, the above and: Prisons are being prepared to cope with a sudden influx of offenders in case there is a repeat of last summer’s riots, the justice minister, James Timpson, has told the Guardian. The facts behind my headline: 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 is considering a request to send 120 officers to Northern Ireland following several nights of anti-immigration riots in Belfast and other parts of the UK. Jon … Continue reading As the UK Ministry of Justice prepares for summer riots how only Scotland has the lower crime levels, the complete absence of riots previously, lower levels of background racism and the police staffing levels to be able to help other countries

Police officer strength climbs for second year to 1.7% higher than when Labour left power in 2007 despite a 38% fall in crime

The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA From – Police officer quarterly strength statistics: 31 December 2024, published today: Scotland’s Chief Statistician has published statistics on Police Officer Quarterly Strength, which gives the number of full-time equivalent police officers employed by Police Scotland. The … Continue reading Police officer strength climbs for second year to 1.7% higher than when Labour left power in 2007 despite a 38% fall in crime

Labour hypocrisy well on-track

stewartb The Scotrail fare rise is covered on the Scotland page of the BBC News website (January 21). The BBC opened the article to readers’ comments and what a catalogue of evidence-free, statistics-free bile! This is the BBC headline ‘ScotRail fares set to increase by nearly 4%’. (By the way, the ’to nearly 4%’ in the headline could have been shorten to the accurate ‘to 3.8%’.) The article adds: ‘Transport Scotland said a 20% discount on season tickets would continue until September and the travel card Flexipass – which offers 12 single journeys for the price of 10 – has been expanded … Continue reading Labour hypocrisy well on-track

Opposition MSP defies facts to suggest child rape gangs might operate in Scotland

Around 50 such gangs have been identified across England: One gang of 7 or 8 men based in Glasgow raped 4 children and were found guilty in 2023. This does not represent the same phenomenon found across England, with hundreds of mostly Pakistani men and the mass rape of more than 1 000 children, trafficked from badly-run care homes to multiple locations across the region. Nevertheless in the Herald, today, the above claim by Pam Gosal, and: A Scottish Conservative MSP has said she “echoes calls” made by the UK Conservative leader for a national inquiry into tackling child sexual … Continue reading Opposition MSP defies facts to suggest child rape gangs might operate in Scotland

Former Labour and Jack McConnell aide desperately attempts to spread ‘grooming gang’ pandemic into Scotland based on no evidence at all

In the wake of the accusations that Keir Starmer was neglectful in his role as chief prosecutor at the time of the Rotherham Grooming [Mass child rape] Gang scandal, former Labour First Minister, Jack McConnell’s aide, Susan Dalgety, writes in the Scotsman on Saturday 4th January: Why Scotland needs urgent national investigation into child sex abuse by grooming gangs1 Leaving aside the irony of Scottish Labour calling for an inquiry into a phenomenon barely reported in Scotland at the same time as UK Labour refuses one where the phenomenon is widely reported in England, what evidence of need does Dalgety … Continue reading Former Labour and Jack McConnell aide desperately attempts to spread ‘grooming gang’ pandemic into Scotland based on no evidence at all

Scotland – 8% of the population but 48% of the UK’s wind energy and a massive transfer of 6.1 TWh electricity

From the Guardian today: UK electricity cleanest ever in 2024, with record 58% from low-carbon sources – UK has more than halved amount of electricity generated from fossil fuels but gas still had largest share at 28% https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/02/uk-electricity-cleanest-ever-in-2024-with-record-58-from-low-carbon-sources There’s no mention of Scotland’s contribution to this: Scotland powers nearly half of UK’s wind energy milestone. Scotland’s wind farms are generating 48% of the UK’s 30GW wind power capacity, with new projects pushing this total higher. https://www.energylivenews.com/2024/08/30/scotland-powers-nearly-half-of-uks-wind-energy-milestone/ Net electricity transfers from Scotland to England [in 2023] increased 15 per cent to 6.0 TWh year-on-year, with transfers from Scotland to England increasing … Continue reading Scotland – 8% of the population but 48% of the UK’s wind energy and a massive transfer of 6.1 TWh electricity

As Motherwell man becomes first [vulnerable?] Scot to be named as member of an English County lines gang, BBC Scotland still won’t bite

BBC Scotland (above) today, have no space for this hot story: A man from North Lanarkshire has been charged after over £6m worth of cannabis was seized during a massive multi-agency taskforce operation. Craig Tomlinson from Motherwell was charged with the supply of Class B drugs after British Transport Police officers targeted key stations across Manchester on Monday and Tuesday last week while intelligence led to a search of three addresses. The multi-agency operation, dubbed Op Blume, was led by a BTP specialist County Lines taskforce and deployed officers from the dog section, Neighbourhood Policing Team, Operational Support Unit, plain … Continue reading As Motherwell man becomes first [vulnerable?] Scot to be named as member of an English County lines gang, BBC Scotland still won’t bite

County Lines gangs from cities in England ‘swamping’ police forces and linked to Scotland’s high drug death rates 

From the Press & Journal, three days ago: Cops say Inverness flooded with ‘endless supply of drug foot soldiers’ from Birmingham, Liverpool and London – Police are battling with drug gangs “every week” – and that trying to chase them is like a game of “whack-a-mole”. Detective Constable Duncan Birse laid out the extent of the problem. He said: “Being born and bred in the Highlands I assume most folk associate Inverness with the Loch Ness Monster and whisky. “Probably most folk are unaware that actually we have a massive issue here with county lines drug dealing gangs. “We are … Continue reading County Lines gangs from cities in England ‘swamping’ police forces and linked to Scotland’s high drug death rates 

Meet the County Lines drug gang who used children to peddle heroin and cocaine from the Midlands but BBC Scotland and the supposedly intelligent press will not tell you about

From Birmingham Live, today: Drugs are a problem police continue to tackle as dangerous substances remain on our streets. And one way criminals are flooding towns with the likes of heroin and cocaine is through county lines. The system involves drug dealers establishing networks for the supply and distribution of illegal substances usually to towns and rural areas. They are notorious for using young and vulnerable people as a means to do this. The group ran drugs lines known as the AB Line and the Jay Line. Asante ran his criminal business from Wolverhampton and Stafford. He was assisted with … Continue reading Meet the County Lines drug gang who used children to peddle heroin and cocaine from the Midlands but BBC Scotland and the supposedly intelligent press will not tell you about

Police Chiefs celebrate 6 years of disrupting County Lines gang terror and the need for a Scottish Coordinator, ‘recognising the lines from England that impact this part of the UK’

The National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC), part of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and funded by the Home Office marks six years of disrupting County lines drug gangs, today.  Since 2018, 5 627 lines have been closed, more than 16,500 people arrested and 8,800 individuals safeguarded. Every policing region in England and Wales has a dedicated NCLCC Co-ordinator and analytical resource to measure this threat and access to the Continuous Improvement Team to support with their force response to County Lines. In addition, there is a programme funded Co-ordinator in Scotland, recognising the lines from England that impact … Continue reading Police Chiefs celebrate 6 years of disrupting County Lines gang terror and the need for a Scottish Coordinator, ‘recognising the lines from England that impact this part of the UK’