Item 7a - Police Scotland WD Q3
West Dunbartonshire Council · 28 February 2024
Back to Housing & Communities Committee — 28 February 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 West Dunbartonshire Performance Summary Report Reporting Period: Q3 – April to December 2023 Total Crime 765 Crimes Incidents Overall Dishonesty Domestic Abuse Incidents +12.2 +37.5 +7.2% +12.3 +5.1% +75%* Road Deaths and Serious Injuries +3.6%* Sexual Crime +2504*PYTD, - +95*PYTD, +164*5YR +409*PYTD, +347*5YR +65*PYTD, -20*5YR +17*PYTD, +25*5YR AVG +7*PYTD, -4*5YR AVG +12*on PYTD +105*PYTD Violent Crime Missing Counter Terrorism +1*PYTD +0.2%* +17*PYTD, +1*5YR Common Assault +15.5% Housebreaking Disorder Complaints The National Terrorism Threat level is SUBSTANTIAL This means that an attack is likely. *PYTD = Previous Year to Date *5YR = 5 year average +10.8% +13.3% ITEM 7a
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OFFICIAL SECTION PAGE NUMBER Introduction 2 Executive Summary 3 Demand Analysis 4 Acquisitive Crime 5 Public Protection 6 Road Safety 7 Serious Organised Crime 8 Violence 9 Antisocial Behaviour 10 Public Confidence - Complaints & Allegations 11 Introduction I am pleased to present this performance summary report to the West Dunbartonshire Housing Committee for its information and consideration. The Reporting Period for this report is cumulative for Quarters 1, 2 & 3 of 2023, with figures being shown from 1st April 2023 through to 31st December 2023. 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 previous year to date and the previous five year average for the same data period specified. Crimes and offences are grouped under recognised categories for statistical purposes. The Scottish Government defines these categories, as follows: Group 1 - Non Sexual Crimes of Violence Group 6 - Miscellaneous Offences Group 2 - Sexual Crimes Group 7 - Offences relating to motor vehicles Group 3 - Crimes of Dishonesty PYTD - Previous Year to Date Group 4 - Fire Raising, Malicious Mischief CYTD - Current Year to Date Group 5 - Other (pro activity) Crimes
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OFFICIAL PRIORITY AREA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Acquisitive Crime At the end of Quarter 3, acquisitive crime shows an increase of 409 crimes compared to the same period last year. This is largely due to notable increases in shoplifting, vehicle crime and common theft. Public Protection Group 2 sexual crimes have seen an increase of 5.1% with 143 crimes recorded compared to 136 at the end of Quarter 3 last year. The number of Rape crimes recorded has risen slightly from 24 to 28. Sexual assaults have also seen a slight increase from 43 to 50 (+7) year on year. Road Safety & Road Crime The number of fatal road traffic collisions within West Dunbartonshire has reduced with 1 fatality recorded during the current reporting period compared to 2 in the same period last year. Road traffic collisions involving serious injuries have increased from 14 to 27, while collisions involving slight injuries have seen a reduction from 30 to 22. Serious Organised Crime At the end of Quarter 3, drugs supply crimes had increased from 53 to 70, while possession charges have seen a reduction from 470 to 449. Across Argyll & West Dunbartonshire 39 persons linked to serious and organised crime (SAOC) have been arrested and £496,551 seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA). Violence & ASB At the end of Quarter 3, Group 1 crimes of violence have increased with 155 crimes compared to 138 the previous year to date. Anti-social behaviour (ASB) related crimes have also seen increase from 1913 to 1969 (+2.9%). 1. Acquisitive Crime 2. Public Protection 3. Road Safety & Road Crime 4. Serious Organised Crime 5. Violence & Anti-social behaviour WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE POLICING PRIORITIES 2023-2026
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OFFICIAL CRIME PYTD CYTD INCIDENTS PYTD CYTD Total Crimes & Offences 7107 7872 Total number of incidents 18,884 21,388 DEMAND ANALYSIS - * PYTD - PREVIOUS YEAR TO DATE CYTD - CURRENT YEAR TO DATE The total volume of crimes and offences recorded within West Dunbartonshire has increased by 10.8% from the previous year and is currently 9.4% above the previous 5 year average. All crime groups have seen a notable rise in figures from the PYTD with acquisitive crimes experiencing highest increase (+37.5%) followed by Police proactive crimes such as weapon carrying and drug offences (+13.9%). Acquisitive crimes have also seen an increase of 30.1% on the previous 5 year average. Despite the overall increase in crime levels Group 2 sexual crimes and Miscellaneous offences both remain below the 5 year average.
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OFFICIAL OFFICIAL ACQUISITIVE CRIME Shoplifting crimes have seen the highest increase (335 to 533) and remain above the previous 5 year average. Year to date there have been 91 more shoplifting crimes that have been detected. This is a national picture which may be increasing as a result of the cost of living. At the end of Quarter 3, domestic housebreakings have increased by 15 year to date. Housebreakings at commercial properties have seen a reduction and are down by 9 crimes. There has been an increase in motor vehicle crimes with 147 recorded compared to 74 last year. Thefts from motor vehicles have the highest increase (35 to 99). Theft of motor vehicles has also risen from 39 to 48. Much of the increase in these thefts are attributed to one repeat offender who has subsequently been arrested and remanded in custody. The detection rate for vehicle crimes has increased from 28.4% to 59.2%. Common thefts have increased from 319 to 411, while fraud crimes have seen a slight reduction from 176 to 163. Both figures remain above the 5 year average. To address the increase in domestic housebreakings, officers have shared material from our “After Dark” campaign on social media assisted by letter drops by our Police Scotland Youth Volunteers (PSYV). PSYV handed out over 2000 leaflets in our local communities which relate to protecting homes and property. Officers are engaging with victims of theft by housebreaking and providing security advice while also providing contact details for Secure by Design where residents can access approved security advice, systems and equipment. The Preventions & Partnerships team have been working with retailers within Clydebank Shopping Centre providing advice on stock security and how to better prevent being the victims of theft. This work has also included promoting a system called ‘Retail Watch’ which is an email based alert facility that warns retailers of specific risks such as an organised team of shoplifters operating in a particular vicinity. We continue to provide bicycle marking kits which are also available from every Divisional Police Office front desk, the uptake is very positive and is improving bike security. Community Police Officers, during the most recent cold spell, were out early to identify and warn numerous persons who had left a vehicle running unattended to defrost in their drives. Easy pickings for opportunist thieves. Social media was utilised before and after the operation to highlight how common this practice is and how easy it could be to take a vehicle in such circumstances. 37 vehicles identified in a short period of time and all owners warned and given safety advice.
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OFFICIAL OFFICIAL We fully supported the Violence Against Women & Girls (VAWG) 16 days of action campaign raising awareness of the issues faced and encouraging reporting of same. We promoted positive messaging from male role models from SFRS and Dumbarton FC. Youth Engagement Officers are delivering inputs at Community Hubs addressing internet safety. Inputs were targeted more towards parents looking at their responsibilities and what securities can be put in place to best protect the children. A muti-agency project has commenced involving The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) and Y Sort-IT where NSPCC will deliver inputs to youth groups specifically targeting online sexualised conduct, misogyny, and the dangers of inappropriate online conduct. Inputs will include how to be safe, how to report inappropriate content or conduct, encourage users to speak to someone if they are encountering issues online of any form and to better understand what acceptable behaviour is. The inputs will address how the effects of online abuse or pressure can manifest in an individual. Work is ongoing within both the child and adult care sectors to further address missing persons and how best to firstly prevent such a scenario but also how to better deal with certain missing person reports to maximise the safety of those within the care system. At the end of Quarter 3, Group 2 crimes show an increase of 5.1% compared to the same period last year. Rape crimes have risen from 24 to 28, while sexual assaults have also increased by 7 crimes. The number of domestic abuse incidents reported to the police has risen by 7.2% however the total number of domestic related crimes recorded has reduced by 2.1% YTD, in accordance with a slight reduction in the percentage of incidents that have resulted in a crime being recorded (-2.3%). Approximately 86% of rape crimes occurred in a private place and 86% were committed by persons known to the victim. Similarly, around 77% of sexual assaults also occurred in a private place with 90% committed by persons known to the victim. Approximately half of all sexual assaults during this reporting period relate to non-recent reports. The detection rate for rape crime has increased by 28.6% and is currently 78.6%, while the detection rate for sexual assaults has reduced from 95.3% to 60% year on year. Crimes relating to indecent images/communications have remained fairly consistent compared to last year with almost 25% being committed by persons known to the victim. A total of 235 missing person reports have been recorded by the end of Quarter 3, which is a reduction from 251 last year. Adult missing person reports have increased from 84 to 101, while reports relating to children have seen a decrease from 125 to 98 (-27) year on year. PUBLIC PROTECTION
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OFFICIAL Across the reporting period, there has been 1 road death in West Dunbartonshire. Serious injuries have almost doubled from 14 to 27 while slight injuries have reduced slightly. Offences relating to motor vehicles have increased slightly by 1.6% (an increase of 35 offences) compared to the previous year. Much of the increase is due to notable rises in insurance offences (+71), neglecting traffic directions (+34) and driving without a licence (+28), which have all been proactively detected. Road Traffic Casualties 2022/23 2023/24 Number of persons killed on our roads 2 1 Number of persons seriously injured 14 27 Number of persons slightly injured 30 22 Number of children seriously injured 0 0 The Road Policing Unit within West Dunbartonshire remains committed to detecting offences within the Key Performance Indicators of the fatal 5, careless/dangerous driving, speed, mobile phones, seatbelts and drink/drug driving. Of particular note, the detection of disqualified drivers has doubled compared with the five- year average in West Dunbartonshire, an indication of the proactive work carried out by the unit. In the final quarter of the year there are national campaigns targeting seatbelts, mobile phone use and speeding along with Vulnerable Road User’s focus at the end of the period. The Road Policing Unit will carry out activities locally with particular focus on these behaviours during the national campaign. Police Scotland’s annual festive drink and drug driving campaign took place from 1 December 2023 to 2 January 2024. The total number of roadside tests carried out by police officers increased by 21 per cent compared to the previous year. There were 3,219 breath tests (2,568 in 2022) and 481 drug wipes (481 in 2022). Scotland- wide, detected offences increased, from 722 in 2022 to 831 in 2023. The Preventions & Partnerships Unit are currently arranging a series of road safety events to take place across West Dunbartonshire. The events will include input and advice from Police Scotland and also the opportunity for drivers to take a drive with a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) sitting alongside who will provide the driver with advice and guidance relating to the driver’s driving standards. It is part of the ‘I Am Road Smart’ campaign which has proved to be very effective across the country. ROAD SAFETY AND ROAD CRIME
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OFFICIAL OFFICIAL Across Argyll & West Dunbartonshire, 39 persons linked to serious and organised crime have been arrested and £496,551 has been seized under POCA since 1st April 2023. At the end of Quarter 3, drug supply charges have increased from 53 to 70 crimes, but remains below the previous 5 year average (84.4). Drug possession charges have seen a slight reduction of 4.5% from 470 to 449. SERIOUS & ORGANISED CRIME Drug supply statistics evidence the work of both the Dumbarton based Crime Team & the Divisional Community Policing Teams who have been targeting those involved in the supply of controlled drugs, focussed, planned operations disrupting criminal activities and removing illegal and harmful drugs from the communities. Officers seized a commercial scale cannabis cultivation in Dumbarton, removing and destroying a large quantity of plants and growing equipment in the process. Officers are following a positive line of enquiry to identify those responsible. Thanks to our partners from West Dunbartonshire Health & Social Care Partnership (HSCP) our S3 year groups across West Dunbartonshire had the opportunity to learn and talk about choices, risks and consequences of talking MDMA (Ecstasy). The Daniel Spargo Mabbs Foundation performed live theatre productions across all secondary schools of ‘I Love You Mum I Promise I Won’t Die’ which is based on a true story of schoolboy Daniel who took MDMA at a party and consequently died. The production is followed by a workshop to bring out the main learning points and to encourage discussion. We know this will be very thought provoking. We also hope it will positively influence future decisions. Town Centre officers carried out some partnership work with Trading Standards. 1 person was reported by Trading Standards for licensing and trademark offences. Such partnership working has a positive impact on other local retailers. Police Officers also participated in a successful partnership operation working with The Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) targeting premises trading in vehicle license plates (which can subsequently be used in the commission of crime). 8 persons/companies charged under Vehicle Crime Act 2001.
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OFFICIAL OFFICIAL VIOLENCE After 27 years, the killers of 14-year-old Caroline Glachan have been convicted. Caroline was violently attacked and murdered in August 1996. Officers from the MITs worked diligently to piece together what happened. Officers re-examined and researched all documentation from the original inquiry. More than 200 statements were taken from people who had not previously provided a statement to police. The Preventions & Partnerships Team have had an initial meeting with the team from the West Dunbartonshire Harm Reduction Mobile Service. We are looking at how to best engage with service users to offer personal safety advice without negatively impacting on the unit’s service. We are also exploring avenues to provide advice on domestic violence and also take any opportunity to make disclosures under the Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland to better protect persons at risk of violence in a domestic setting. Addressing the increase in robberies, a dedicated team was assembled. Through intelligence and reviewing of crimes they targeted specific areas and individuals. Very positive results with 3 x offensive weapon & multiple drug offences detected, 4 people arrested breaching bail. Results show criminal activity impacted upon greatly. Some violent crime types have increased across West Dunbartonshire resulting in an overall increase of 12.3% from 138 to 155 crimes. 58% of all crimes took place in a private place, and 44% of those in a public space were committed by persons known to the victim. Whilst we continue to prioritise violence prevention strategies, sporadic violence taking place behind doors or between individuals known to each other is challenging to prevent. Threats and extortion offences show the highest increase (+18), however this is due to a rise in “sextortion” offences with around 90% being committed online involving threats to post indecent images shared between victims and suspects. Many of these offences are committed out with the country reducing the investigative opportunities available. There has been an increase in attempted murders (from 0 to 5) and robberies (from 18 to 27) compared to last year. Three of five attempted murders occurred within public space and two in private places. It is important to note that all attempted murders were committed by persons known to the victim (1 domestic related). The 5 attempted murders have been detected. Sixteen of the 27 robberies occurred in a public place (12 on a public street, 3 at commercial stores and 1 on public transport). The other 11 crimes occurred in private places. Sixteen robberies were committed by strangers and 11 were committed by persons known to the victim. The detection rate for robbery has reduced from 72.2% to 48%.
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OFFICIAL Across the recording period the number of ASB related calls to Police Scotland has increased by 4.7%. Group 6 crimes, which include ASB related offences have also seen a slight increase of 2.9% from 1913 to 1969. Common assaults have increased by 12.2% from 780 to 875. Approximately 54% of crimes occurred in public spaces and 46% in private spaces. In 44% of public space crimes, offenders were known to victims. Much of the increase is due to a rise in domestic assaults (+24), youth fighting (+18) and neighbour disputes (+10). The detection rate for common assaults overall has reduced by 7.8% from 71.2 to 63.3% (1 fewer crime). ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR We pride ourselves in our close partnerships, and in preparation for bonfire weekend, our officers worked closely with colleagues from Scottish Fire & Rescue Service and West Dunbartonshire Council ASB and Housing teams and Trading Standards to promote safety and prevention. Our Youth Engagement Officers carried out joint inputs in local schools, and Community Policing Teams visited premises selling fireworks to ensure they are complying with strict guidelines. We worked with our Green Space colleagues at West Dunbartonshire Council and our communities responding to information about possible stockpiles of rubbish or wood being gathered which could be used to create unsafe fires removing same. We continue to engage daily with our partners at West Dunbartonshire Council pro-actively disclosing incidents of anti-social behaviour (ASB) to best address recurring issues. This disclosure protocol can also assist in specific tenant issues and highlights repeat locations. From this continual assessment and review of ASB we adjust our policing plan through extra attention patrols, action plans, individual warnings to problematic tenants. It identifies ‘hot-spots’ that are added to the patrol matrix for scheduled recorded police activity and monitoring. Community Police Teams are tasked to concentrate their efforts on the areas and issues causing the greatest disruption and upset within the communities. Clydebank Shopping Centre, Chalmers Street currently subject of increased police and partner focus. Moving forward, Operation Balaton already being planned to combat any rise in ASB during the better weather.
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OFFICIAL OFFICIAL PUBLIC CONFIDENCE: COMPLAINTS & USER SATISFACTION Overall satisfaction with Police Scotland User Satisfaction results show that locally, public confidence levels remain high with overall satisfaction levels at 70.9%, which is in line with the position in 2022/23. At the end of Quarter 3, 71 complaints against the police had been recorded within West Dunbartonshire which is a marginal increase from 68 last year. The number of allegations against officers has reduced year on year from 134 to 125. 999 Call Data – December 2023 Police Scotland were in the top five UK Forces for Total Received 999 calls for the month of December 2023, with 85.6% of calls answered within 10 secs. Police Scotland is currently managing a marked increase in 999 emergency calls and this unfortunately, does affect wait times for 101 calls. Calendar year to date when compared with the previous year we have experienced a 14% increase. Control room staff are now triaging calls relating to mental health matters and when appropriate, and when circumstances allow, signposting callers directly to the most appropriate NHS service negating the need to send a police resource. This is reducing the demand on front line police resources while also allowing quicker access to the most appropriate professional to those in need. The table shows almost 71% of those asked were either satisfied or very satisfied with the service they received from Police Scotland. 20.36% of respondents were dissatisfied with the service they received. We are continuing to ensure all officers are engaging in all available training and receiving the maximum level of supervision and guidance to improve these figures and ensure we are providing the maximum service across the area in all aspects of policing. We have commenced a review and training programme to improve the quality of reports being submitted to COPFS to improve the outcome for victims. Total of 501 responses