Renfrewshire SBR December_2023_final
Renfrewshire Council · 16 January 2024
Back to Police and Fire and Rescue Scrutiny Sub-Committee — 16 January 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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OFFICIAL OFFICIAL Renfrewshire Performance Summary Report Reporting Period: 01/04/23 - 31/10/23 Total Crime 8,763 Crimes Incidents Recorded Overall Dishonesty Domestic Abuse Incidents +10.7% +18.3% +1.1% +8.4% +7.1% -38.3% Road Traffic Casualties -3.9%* Sexual Crime 31,924 1,099 2,198 1,217 1,210 257 58 3,890 Overall Violent Crime Missing People 383 141 Common Assault +14.6% Housebreaking Disorder Complaints Unless otherwise stated, all data provided within this report is for the period 1 April 2023 - 31 October 2023, with comparisons made against the same period in 2022. All statistics are provisional and should be treated as management information. All data have been extracted from Police Scotland internal systems and are correct as at 13 November 2023. +1.2% +7.3% -22.5%
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2 OFFICIAL OFFICIAL Renfrewshire Performance Summary Report Reporting Period: 1 Apr 2023 to 31 Oct 2023 Introduction I am pleased to present this report to the Police Fire and Rescue Committee for its information and consideration. Please note that all data included in this report are management information and not official statistics. All data are sourced from Police Scotland internal systems and are correct as of date of publication. Unless stated otherwise, numerical comparisons are against the comparable period in the preceding reporting year. Chief Superintendent Gordon McCreadie Renfrewshire & Inverclyde Divisional Commander SECTION PAGE NUMBER Introduction 2 Executive Summary 3 Demand Analysis 4 Antisocial Behaviour, Violence & Disorder 5 Protecting Vulnerable People 6 Acquisitive Crime 7 Cyber and Digital Crime 7 Road Safety and Road Crime 8 Public Confidence - Complaints & Allegations 9 Recent Initiatives and Results 10 Forthcoming Initiatives 10
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3 OFFICIAL OFFICIAL PRIORITY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY While serious assaults have fallen by 23.8% on the previous year, common assaults have increased by 10.7%. Similarly to the national picture, the number of recorded violent crimes has increased on the previous year (+8.4%). However, the rate of overall violent crime in Renfrewshire (67.6 crimes per 10,000 population remains below the national average (70.5 crimes per 10k). 257 sexual crimes have been recorded in Renfrewshire in the reporting period, a rise of 17 crimes on the previous year (+7.1%). Almost 30% of sexual crimes involved non-recent reporting and over half related to non-contact offences - the majority of these being cyber-enabled sexual offences. 2,198 acquisitive crimes have been recorded - a rise of over 18% on the previous year (with national figures also increasing on the previous year). Shoplifting, fraud and thefts of / from motor vehicles are three of the main drivers in this overall rise. The detection rate of 35.5% has increased on the previous year and remains above the national average detection rate. Overall, road casualties have fallen by 35, to a total of 59. Serious and slight road injuries have both decreased on 2022/23 figures, while one road fatality occurred - no change on the previous year. Offences relating to motor vehicles have fallen by 10.7% on the previous year, to a total of 1,782. RENFREWSHIRE POLICING PRIORITIES 2023/26 POLICE SCOTLAND’S POLICING PRIORITIES 2023/24 Protecting vulnerable people Renfrewshire & Inverclyde Division continues to support a multi-agency approach to reduce drug deaths, to engage with Scottish Government and stakeholders to influence approaches to supporting individuals with complex mental health needs, and to work in partnership to develop local effective and efficient pathways to support vulnerable peo- ple. Working with communities The Division continues to support this Police Scotland priority and to develop strategic partnerships to find synergy in policy making and shared resources. Police in Renfrewshire recognise the importance of engaging with communities to understand their needs, and strive to support innovation in local partnership settings. Tackling crime in the digital age Police in Renfrewshire continue to benefit from the support of specialised Police Scotland units such as the Cybercrime, the Economic Crime, Financial Investigation Units and the Online Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation teams, amongst others. In addition we have our own dedicated Divisional Public Protection Proactive Investigation Team who continue to operate in this digital age. We maintain efforts to ensure our Officers and Staff have the training, resources and equipment needed to tackle the increasing threat arising from cyber related criminality and technological advancement. Support for operational policing Renfrewshire Police continue to link in closely with Police Scotland’s Corporate Services who enable and support operational resources to deliver against the strategic priorities and their outcomes. As part of the Digitally-Enabled Policing Programme, migration to new national Core Operational Systems has led to increased efficiency and deployability of local Police Officers, allowing them to more effectively serve Renfrewshire’s communities.
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4 OFFICIAL OFFICIAL DEMAND ANALYSIS PYTD - PREVIOUS YEAR TO DATE CYTD - CURRENT YEAR TO DATE CRIME PYTD CYTD INCIDENTS PYTD CYTD Total Crimes & Offences 8,763 8,868 Total number of incidents 29,746 31,924 The volume of recorded crime and offences has risen by 1.2% on the previous year to a total of 8,868 in the current reporting year. An increase in Group 1 (non-sexual crimes of violence), Group 2 (sexual crimes), Group 3 (acquisitive crimes e.g. theft, fraud, shoplifting) and Group 6 (miscellaneous offences e.g. common assault, breach of the peace) have been partially offset by a fall in recorded crimes of Group 4 crimes (e.g. fireraising, vandalism and other malicious mischief), Group 5 crimes and Group 7 offences (road traffic offences). The overall detection rate for all crime and offences is 62.8%, close to the national average detection rate of 64%. Meanwhile, recorded Police incidents have increased by 7.3% to a total of 31,924. Whilst this remains below the 5 year average, part of this rise can be attributed to an increased in silent/discarded 999 calls (caused by a rise in accidental 999 dials resulting from software updates to some smart devices), there are also indications of a continually growing and evolving demand on Police in Renfrewshire, with a rise in crime incidents and external agency requests. This increasing pressure on Police Scotland from other agencies, most of which is non-criminal in nature may be reflective of reduced budgets in other agencies, displacing demand to the police and reducing officer time for patrol duties.
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5 OFFICIAL OFFICIAL VIOLENCE, ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR AND DISORDER Violence The rate of violent crime in Renfrewshire per 10,000 population remains below the national average for the current reporting year. As per the national picture, recorded crimes of violence have increased on the previous reporting period (+9.9%) to a total of 890 crimes, with this largely being the result of a rise in minor violence (+10.7%). Recorded crimes of serious violence remains statistically consistent with last year’s figures, with an increase of less than one percent. Around half of all crimes of violence occurred in private spaces such as dwelling houses. Violence occurring in private spaces tends to be associated with unique challenges to Police, inhibiting investigative opportunities (witnesses, CCTV etc) and fewer opportunities for prevention. Whilst this is challenging, particularly in respect of Domestic Abuse and Violence Against Women and Girls, officers are trained to identify other investigative opportunities where possible. Disorder and Antisocial Behaviour Recorded fireraising crimes have fallen by eight percent on the previous year. Advice continues to be issued to all householders regarding the dangers of leaving combustible items in common close areas. Meanwhile, recorded vandalism crimes have fallen by 14.9% on the previous year, and publicly-reported incidents of disorder have fallen by 3.9% to a total of 3,890. Hate Crime 143 hate incidents recorded in Renfrewshire in the reporting period, a decrease of 1.4% on the previous year. 121 of these hate incidents resulted in a crime being recorded, with the detection rate for hate crime in the current year being 75% - a rise of nearly 12 percentage points on the 2022/23 position. In over 60% of hate crimes were racist in nature, with sexual orientation and disability being the next most commonly targeted protected characteristics. Consistent with previously observed trends, a substantial proportion (nearly 20%) of recorded hate crime in Renfrewshire continues to be directed towards Police Officers during the course of their duties.
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6 OFFICIAL OFFICIAL Sexual Crime 257 sexual crimes have been recorded in Renfrewshire in the reporting period, a rise of 17 crimes on the previous year (+7.1%). Almost 30% of sexual crimes involved non-recent reporting. There are specific challenges associated with the investigation and detection of non-recent sexual crimes, due to the passage of time and resulting loss of various forensic opportunities. Over half of sexual crimes recorded in the current year related to non- contact offences - the majority of these being cyber- enabled sexual offences, including indecent communications and sharing of intimate images without consent. Missing People In the period April 2023 to October 2023, 383 missing person reports have been recorded in Renfrewshire, a significant decrease (-22.6%) on the 469 reports in the same period in 2022/23. In the reporting period, 56% of all missing persons incidents involved Looked After and Accommodated Children (LAAC), most commonly being reported as missing from Children’s Homes located throughout Renfrewshire. Nearly 73% of incidents involved individuals who had been reported missing on two or more occasions in the current year. The majority of these repeat missing persons were LAAC. Police Scotland remains committed to reducing harm related to people who go missing and continues to develop and implement key measures to ensure missing persons and their friends and family receive a consistently high level of service wherever the person has gone missing from. On average, missing people were of traced within 24 hours of being reported as missing, with this proportion rising to nearly 89% being traced within two days. Domestic Abuse Victims of domestic abuse remain one of Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Division’s top priorities. While research strongly suggests that domestic abuse continues to be significantly under-reported, Police in Renfrewshire continue to work with a range of partners to instil confidence in victims to report abuse to the Police and to continually improve our service to all victims of domestic abuse. Recorded domestic abuse incidents in Renfrewshire increased by 1.1% on the previous year, to a total of 1,217. 44.1% of all recorded incidents resulted in a crime being recorded – a decrease of 2.8 percentage points on the previous year. Drug Related Deaths 14 confirmed and 20 suspected drugs related deaths occurred in Renfrewshire in the reporting period. While toxicology results are awaited in relation to the suspected drug related deaths, analysis of confirmed drug deaths identified that while drugs such as cocaine, heroin and Etizolam continue to commonly feature, Bromazolam has increasingly come to feature in drug related deaths (though exclusively identified as part of mixed drug toxicity). This synthetic benzodiazepine is known to produce strong sedative or sleep inducing effects and is associated with a substantial risk of overdose as a result. Police in Renfrewshire continue to work alongside a range of partners to tackle drug related harms, with the vast majority of frontline officers now carrying Naloxone and being able to intervene in life threatening situations. Other initiatives include the delivery of educational inputs to schools by local officers and continued proactivity relating to the supply and distribution of illicit drugs within Renfrewshire’s communities. PROTECTING VULNERABLE PEOPLE
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7 OFFICIAL OFFICIAL ACQUISITIVE CRIME The detection rate for acquisitive crime has increased by 5.3 percentage points compared to the previous year, to a total of 35.5% in the reporting period. This compares to the national detection rate of 31.7% for the same period. Similar to the national trend, the number of recorded acquisitive crimes in Renfrewshire has increased (+18%), to a total of 2,198 crimes. Shoplifting, fraud and thefts of / from motor vehicles are three of the main drivers in this overall rise. Theft by shoplifting accounts for nearly a third of all recorded acquisitive crime and has increased by over 49% on the previous year’s figures. Motor vehicle theft has also increased considerably on last year’s figures, rising by 17.6% to a total of 80 crimes. However, a proactive focus on this issue has resulted in an increase of over nine percentage points in the detection rate, to the current position of 56.3%. Fraud continues to be a significant concern due to the ever-evolving and expanding threat landscape associated with this crime. Many fraud crimes reported in Renfrewshire are cyber-enabled and involve suspects located outside of Scotland and often the UK, increasing the complexity of detecting these crimes and bringing perpetrators to justice. We continue to engage with partner agencies and Renfrewshire’s communities in a preventative approach, to raise awareness of established and emerging fraudulent schemes. CYBER & DIGITAL CRIME Cyber-enabled crime continues to impact on the communities of Renfrewshire, with analysis suggesting that cyber-enabled frauds remain the most commonly recorded type of cybercrime in Renfrewshire in the reporting period. Almost half of all reported cybercrimes in Renfrewshire were acquisitive crimes. A range of online frauds and attempted fraud methods continue to be reported, with online marketplace / internet order frauds and phishing attacks most commonly featuring. Around 17% of reported cybercrimes involved threatening or malicious communications, with a further 27% involving sexual extortion crimes and other sexual crimes such as possession of indecent images of children (IIOC) and indecent communications.
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8 OFFICIAL OFFICIAL ROAD SAFETY AND ROAD CRIME Road Traffic Casualties 2022/23 2023/24 Number of persons killed on our roads 1 1 Number of persons seriously injured 36 27 Number of persons slightly injured 57 30 Number of children seriously injured 4 5 Road Traffic Data from 01/04/2023 to 31/10/2023 Overall, road casualties have fallen by 36 on the previous year, to a total of 58. Serious road injuries fell from 36 to 27 and slight injuries fell from 57 to 30. Meanwhile, one road fatality occurred in the period April to October, no change on the same period in 2022. While no children have been killed on Renfrewshire’s roads, five have been seriously injured in the current reporting year - one more than was recorded last year. The number of road traffic offences has fallen by nearly nine percent on the previous year’s figures, to a total of 1,861. Meanwhile, the detection rate has fallen by 2.2 percentage points, to 85.5%. While the majority of Group 7 road traffic offences have declined, recorded offences relating to driving without a licence have risen by 5.6% on the previous year, with 95 crimes in the reporting year. Police in Renfrewshire continue to participate in a range of road safety campaigns, with officers carrying out vehicle and speed checks as part of the festive road safety campaign and speaking to motorists about the risks of driving after even one drink, and the dangers of drug driving.
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9 OFFICIAL OFFICIAL PUBLIC CONFIDENCE: COMPLAINTS & USER SATISFACTION COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE POLICE From 01/04/2023 - 31/10/2023 A total of 125 complaint cases and 210 allegations have been received in Renfrewshire in the reporting peri- od. 138 allegations were ‘On Duty’ with a further 65 relating to quality of service. The largest proportion of allegations related to irregularity in procedure. PUBLIC CONFIDENCE From 01/04/2023 - 31/10/2023 81% of respondents to the ‘Your Police’ survey reported that they felt very or fairly safe in their local area. 34.4% agreed, or strongly agreed that they had confidence in the police in their local area, while 25.8% of Renfrewshire respondents felt that the police were doing a good job in the local area. 68.4% agreed that they had respect for the local police. In Renfrewshire, a higher proportion of positive responses were received for all the above measures of public confidence, as compared to the national average. ‘Your Police’ survey results indicate that respondents felt that the main thing that Renfrewshire Police could be doing better is having a more visible police presence within the area. Issues which were highlighted which continue to cause concern in the local community include antisocial behaviour, road crime such as speeding and dangerous driving, drug dealing and misuse, and theft and damage of property (e.g. housebreaking, theft of and from vehicles etc), as well as a perceived lack of visible Police presence.
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10 OFFICIAL OFFICIAL LOCAL POLICING PRIORITY OUTCOMES – CASE STUDIES The Partnership Team have ongoing work to review missing person incidents and provide continued training and daily liaison with partners to improve process, communication and reduce demand amongst services. All Local Authority and most of the private children’s houses have all been given training on the Not at home and Philomena procedure. The team similarly monitor the theft of fuel crime reports now that the initial phase of retailer engagement is complete. This has shown that retailers are continuing to utilise the civil recovery scheme, this will remain an on-going piece of work for the team. We recently hosted a Retailer action day where by officers from all over Renfrewshire & Inverclyde were supported by specialist officers from Edinburgh to engage retailers for crime prevention advice. We also used this opportunity to engage with the public at Asda Linwood, The Piazza & Braehead. The event was well received and information published on our social media channels along with local papers. We had the pleasure of working with the Police Scotland Youth Volunteers in Paisley who helped deliver information to homes and businesses in Paisley town centre and Renfrew to help promote our Darker Nights Campaign. The spoke with residents and raised awareness of home and vehicle security. We had a recent meeting with “Fearless” and we will continue to support campaigns by them and promote Fearless during our engagement work with schools. FORTHCOMING INITIATIVES Over December and January the team have been targeting gyms and leisure places in Renfrewshire at peak times to raise awareness and offer intervention advice in relation to sextortion and the festive campaign. As the gyms experience high footfall over this period with a high percentage being our target audience for this crime, we are hopeful to achieve a lot of engagement. Two of the preventions team are now trained in the “Pitched in” program and will be running their first session with a Renfrewshire High school in Feb 2024. We are rolling out training for the Partners Intelligence Portal (PIP) where partners can access an electronic system and input intelligence that gets sent straight to our National Intelligence Bureau. We are also arranging to deliver the Hate Crime/Third Party Reporting Training to Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership staff, to raise awareness of hate crime and enable staff to report incidents online that they become aware of, through their roles working with service users. This is due to take place early February. Renfrewshire Police will continue to contribute to safety campaigns, including road safety campaigns focusing on drink and drug driving as well as seatbelt use. Increased high-visibility patrols in Paisley Town Centre and Braehead Shopping Centre will engage the public and offer reassurance, deter criminal activity and to respond to any incidents arising.