Science

UK coronavirus live: attorney general says it's 'absurd' to claim her pro-Cummings tweet undermined legal process










Updated













Updated





Updated









Updated





Updated





Updated





Updated





Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch answers urgent Commons question on BAME coronavirus review

Updated





Crime in Scotland fell by nearly a fifth in first full month of lockdown, official figures show

There was a sharp fall in the number of crimes reported during the first full month of the lockdown in Scotland, with nearly a fifth fewer crimes and 29% fewer offences recorded by the police.

Scotland’s chief statistician said the number of crimes fell by 18% in April compared with April 2019, down by 3,823 to 17,171, while there were 6,215 fewer offences such as common assault or breach of the peace, compared with April last year, down from 21,644 to 15,449.

Sexual crimes reported to the police fell by 26%, down to 781, with violent crimes down 14% and crimes of dishonesty falling by 24%. The data excludes new offences for breaching lockdown or social distancing rules linked to the coronavirus pandemic.

Only fraud cases showed a notable increase, up by 38%, from 791 to 1,089 cases. The statisticians said it was not clear that was entirely due to criminals exploiting people’s vulnerabilities during the crisis because procedures for recording fraud changed in April 2020, to include frauds committed outside the UK on victims within the UK.

Humza Yousaf, the Scottish justice secretary, said that even so, the coronavirus crisis had contributed to the increase. He also urged women and children who had experienced domestic violence to report incidents to the police; experts fear there has been a surge in unrecorded domestic abuse cases during the lockdown. He said:


While many types of crime have fallen in recent months, we know that some people have been using lockdown as a chance to commit offences, notably fraud – including targeting some of our most vulnerable citizens and exploiting businesses.

We must remain vigilant to such criminals, and also to the risks of harm against those who may be living in fear of abuse and violence within their own homes. I would urge anyone who has experienced or witnessed crime to continue to report it.

Some women and children may feel very isolated now, and need our help more than ever. My message to anyone experiencing domestic abuse or sexual violence is absolutely clear: while you may feel vulnerable and unseen, you are not alone. Help from police and support services is still available round the clock.

Humza Yousaf.

Humza Yousaf. Photograph: Fraser Bremner/Scottish Daily Mail/PA

Updated





READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.