Police Scotland Argyll & Bute Performance Summary Report - Reporting Period: April 2026 - June 2026
Argyll and Bute Council · 27 August 2026
Back to Community Services Committee — 27 August 2026 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 x Argyll & Bute Performance Summary Report Reporting Period: April to June 26 Total Crime -94 Crimes Incidents 4631 Overall Dishonesty 242 Domestic Abuse Inc 153 -0.5% +16.9 % -10.5% +3.1% -11.5% -6.7%* Road Deaths & Serious Injuries 14 +18.8%* Sexual Crime 77 -148*PYTD, -629*5YR AVG -1*PYTD, +21*5YR AVG +35*PYTD, +48*5YR AVG -18*PYTD, -11*5YR AVG +8*PYTD, +23*5YR AVG -10*PYTD, +11*5YR AVG -1*on PYTD +80*PYTD Violent Crime 262 Missing People 39 Counter Terrorism -1*PYTD -2.5%* +7*PYTD, +1*5YR AVG Common Assault 189 +70% Housebreaking 17 Disorder Complaints 506 The National Terrorism Threat level is SUBSTANTIAL This means that an attack is likely. *PYTD = Previous Year to Date *5YR = 5-year average -4.7% -3.1%
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OFFICIAL 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 Committee for its information and consideration. The reporting period for this report is cumulative for Quarters 1 to 4 of 2025/26, with available figures being shown from 1st April 2025 through to 31st March 2026. 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 – Anti-social offences Group 2 - Sexual Crimes Group 7 – Miscellaneous Offences Group 3 - Crimes of Dishonesty Group 8 – Road traffic offences Group 4 – Damage and reckless behaviour PYTD - Previous Year to Date Group 5 – Crimes against society CYTD - Current Year to Date
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OFFICIAL OFFICIAL PRIORITY AREA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Acquisitive Crime At the end of Qtr. 1, acquisitive crimes have seen an increase of 16.9% from 207 to 242 crimes. This has largely been driven by an increase in shopliftings throughout Argyll and Bute (+91.1%), while housebreaking’s have also seen a slight increase (+7) year on year. Public Protection Group 2 sexual crimes have reduced by 11.5% from 87 to 77 crimes. Sexual assaults have decreased by 4 crimes year on year while rape offences have reduced from 16 to 11 crimes. Crimes relating to indecent images/communications have also seen a slight reduction compared to the position in 2024/25 from 32 to 28 crimes. Road Safety & Road Crime We continue to record an overall reduction in the number of casualties involved in road traffic collisions within Argyll and Bute compared to last year. There have been no fatal road traffic collisions within Argyll and Bute as at the end of Qtr. 1, which is a reduction from one in 2025/26. Road traffic collisions involving serious injuries have remained consistent with 14 casualties while slight injuries have reduced from 17 to 7. Serious Organised Crime At the end of Qtr. 1, drug supply offences have remained consistent with 7 crimes recorded during both periods, whilst possession charges have shown a decrease of 14.7% from 116 to 99. Across Argyll & West Dunbartonshire 3 crimes linked to persons associated with serious and organised crime have been recorded and £28,606 has been seized under POCA since 1st April 2026. Violence & ASB At the end of Qtr. 1 Group 1 crimes of violence have increased slightly by 3.1% with 262 crimes compared to 254 the previous year to date, while anti-social behaviour (ASB) related crimes have reduced by 8.6% from 291 to 266 crimes. 1. Acquisitive Crime 2. Public Protection 3. Road Safety & Road Crime 4. Serious Organised Crime 5. Violence & Anti-social behaviour ARGYLL & BUTE POLICING PRIORITIES 2023-2026
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OFFICIAL OFFICIAL CRIME PYTD CYTD INCIDENTS PYTD CYTD Total Crimes & Offences 1980 1886 Total number of incidents 4779 4631 DEMAND ANALYSIS - * PYTD - PREVIOUS YEAR TO DATE CYTD - CURRENT YEAR TO DATE * * * * The total volume of crimes and offences recorded within Argyll and Bute has reduced slightly by 4.7% from the previous year but remains above the previous 5-year average (1790). Slight increases in acquisitive crimes (+35), miscellaneous offences (+10) and crimes of violence (+8) have been offset by a decrease in crimes against society such as drug and weapons offences (- 58), anti-social offences (-25) and Group 2 sexual crimes (-10).
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OFFICIAL OFFICIAL ACQUISITIVE CRIME Shoplifting crimes have experienced the highest increase as at the end of Qtr. 1 by 91% with 86 crimes recorded compared to 45 the previous year. The current figure is also above the previous 5-year average (42). The increase is largely due to a rise in crimes within the Helensburgh and Oban areas with various repeat loci being targeted by prolific shoplifters. The detection rate has increased by 14.5% from 62.2% to 76.7%. Housebreaking crimes have also increased slightly compared to the previous reporting period from 10 to 17 crimes however is currently in line with the previous 5-year average (16). The increase is due to a rise in crimes at domestic dwelling (+6) and non-dwelling properties (+5), while commercial premises have seen a slight reduction (-4). Nearly half of all crimes were attempted HB’s or HBWI’s with no property/belongings being stolen. Fraud crime has reduced slightly by 13.1% in Argyll and Bute compared to last year, from 46 to 40 recorded crimes. Most types of fraud have recorded marginal reductions compared to the previous period. The detection rate for fraud has reduced by 12.6% from 32.6% to 20%. In direct contrast to the previous quarter, Argyll and Bute has seen a reduction in agricultural thefts, with no reported thefts of plant machinery or quad bikes. While recent years have seen an increase in the theft of heating oil and fuel, I am pleased to report that there has been only one fuel theft during this period, from an industrial estate in Mid Argyll. Police Scotland will continue to carry out mobile patrols and proactive stop checks across rural areas to deter offending and develop intelligence. We also work closely with our Partnerships Team to use social media to promote crime prevention and encourage residents to take simple measures to reduce the theft of fuel and heating oil. Working in partnership with Trading Standards, we have also undertaken proactive enforcement activity to tackle the illegal sale of vapes and tobacco. This joint approach has included intelligence-led visits to retail premises, ensuring compliance with legislation, disrupting criminality and helping to protect our communities, particularly young people, from access to illicit and age-restricted products. We recently chaired a multi-agency Rural Crime Partnership meeting, bringing together a range of organisations from across our rural communities. Discussions included the impact of off-road bikes, jet skis, quad bikes and organised crime. The forum enables partners to share good practice from across the country and consider initiatives that have delivered tangible results. We also adopted a targeted approach to tackling prolific shoplifters, including the execution of a search warrant at the home address of a suspect. This resulted in the recovery of a significant quantity of stolen property, including items that had not yet been reported to police.
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OFFICIAL OFFICIAL We remain resolute and confident that our staff are providing a victim centred professional response to all sexual crime reported whether that be recent or non-recent. Our staff are highly trained and skilled and have developed excellent joint understanding and working relations with the NHS, Social Services as well as third sector support agencies to ensure we are meeting the needs of both the victim and the complexities of any criminal investigation. We acknowledge the rise in community tensions, in line with a similar trend across the country and any sporadic demonstrations has been policed proportionately balancing the rights of freedom of speech whilst ensuring to minimise the impact on the wider community. Domestic abuse remains a high priority for Police Scotland and whilst it’s great to see the reduction in the statistics we will continue to provide a robust and determined approach. We are invested in supporting prevention opportunities particularly with the Violence Against Women and Girls and Police Scotland’s 2030 vision around safer communities and supporting victims. Our ongoing investment in youth engagement is producing great initiatives which support our commitment to reducing sexual offending and violence against woman. By supporting and influencing decision making and giving the next generation a better understanding on the impact which these types of crimes can have on victims and families will lead to a sustainable reduction of this crime type in the future. At the end of Qtr. 1, Group 2 crimes have reduced slightly by 11.5% with 77 crimes recorded compared to 87 (-10) in the same period last year. Both rape offences and sexual assaults have seen slight reductions year on year from 16 to 11 and 35 to 31 crimes respectively. Crimes relating to indecent images/communications have also decreased slightly from 32 to 28 crimes with approx. 57% involving children and 79% being committed via online platforms. Approximately 56% of sexual assaults occurred in a private setting and 90% were committed by persons known to the victim. Around two thirds of all sexual assaults reported related to non-recent crimes. Similarly, approx. 77% of rape offences occurred within a private space and 77% were committed by persons known to the victim with 8 crimes (72%) being domestic related. Domestic abuse incidents have seen a decrease of 10.5% compared to last year from 171 to 153, while the number of crimes recorded has reduced by 19.7% with 143 compared to 178 in 2025/26. The detection rate for domestic abuse crimes has reduced from 74.2% to 65% year on year. A total of 39 missing person reports had been recorded within Argyll and Bute as at end of Qtr. 1, which is marginally unchanged from 40 last year (-1). MP reports relating to adults have reduced marginally from 18 to 15. Reports relating to children and young persons in care are relatively unchanged from the position in 2025/26. PUBLIC PROTECTION
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OFFICIAL OFFICIAL At the end of Qtr. 1, the number of fatal RTC’s recorded in Argyll and Bute has seen a reduction from 1 to 0 year on year. RTC’s resulting in serious injuries remain unchanged with 14 casualties in both reporting periods while slight injuries have reduced considerably from 17 to 7. Road traffic offences have seen a reduction of 6.5% from 679 to 635 (-44). Increases in unlawful use of motor vehicle offences (+24), dangerous driving (+11) and driving under the influence (+4) have been offset by reductions in speeding (-73) and careless driving offences (-10). Road Traffic Casualties 2025/26 2026/27 Number of persons killed on our roads 1 0 Number of persons seriously injured 14 14 Number of persons slightly injured 17 7 Number of children seriously injured 0 1 Police Scotland continue to promote road safety through a series of engagement and enforcement. Due to the Summer months, we see a large increase in the number of people utilising our roads network. The death of the motorcyclist in Kintyre, was a tragic event for the family and friends of the biker. We would like to thank the public for their understanding during the road closure which allowed our specialist officers to carry out the detailed investigation required to understand the cause of the crash. Throughout the first quarter we continue to work closely with the Roads Policing Unit which enables the entire road network to be policed. During the summer months we have seen the Motorcycle Safety Campaign which ran alongside the Summer Drink Drive Campaign. In addition, regular support comes via the National Motorcycle Unit and Safety Camera Partnership for high visibility patrols to influence specific types of road users such as motorcyclists and at locations which have resulted in casualty collisions. These extra specialist resources allow officers to stop vehicles and check their road worthiness, identifying offences and ultimately taking dangerous vehicles off the road. We have also had our partnerships team out in the community interacting with the members of the biking community passing on safety advice. This always has a positive impact. In response to local concerns, we carried out a “Lose the Blinkers” initiative in Helensburgh whereby we had a multiagency approach involving local Policing, The British Horse Society, and our national mounted team. A total of 34 drivers were stopped and provided advice and guidance on how to improve and consider other road users and a further 24 drivers were stopped and commended for their driving. ROAD SAFETY AND ROAD CRIME
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OFFICIAL OFFICIAL Across Argyll & West Dunbartonshire, 3 crimes linked to persons associated with serious and organised crime have been recorded and £28,606 has been seized under POCA since 1st April 2026. At the end of Qtr. 1, drugs supply charges have remained consistent compared to last year with 7 crimes recorded, which remains marginally below the previous 5-year average (9). Drug possession charges have seen a 14.7% reduction from 116 to 99, which is slightly below the previous 5-year average (104). The policing of Serious and Organised Crime remains a key priority across Argyll and Bute. We continue to adopt a proactive intelligence-led approach, working closely with our partners and local communities to identify, target and disrupt those individuals involved in organised criminality. During the reporting period, we have seen a significant increase in community intelligence being provided through Crimestoppers and other reporting channels. This valuable information has directly contributed to the execution of 13 Misuse of Drugs Act search warrants across Argyll and Bute. These enforcement activities have resulted in the seizure of controlled drugs and significant sums of cash, disrupting organised crime groups and removing illicit commodities from our communities. We have also seen a reduction in organised criminality linked to rural acquisitive crime, including thefts targeting agricultural and rural businesses. While we remain vigilant to this threat, the reduction reflects the effectiveness of targeted enforcement, preventative engagement with rural communities and the disruption of those responsible for organised offending. Our focus remains firmly on driving proactive policing activity, developing intelligence opportunities and pursuing those operating at the higher end of the criminal chain. By identifying and disrupting organised crime groups, we aim not only to bring offenders to justice but also to prevent the harm they cause to individuals, businesses and communities across Argyll and Bute. Through continued partnership working and support from the public, we will maintain relentless pressure on those involved in serious and organised crime and ensure Argyll and Bute remains a hostile environment for criminality. SERIOUS & ORGANISED CRIME
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OFFICIAL OFFICIAL VIOLENCE Violent crime in our communities is often sporadic and influenced by alcohol. Each area continues to have high visibility patrols to support our important nighttime economy. This visible presence is a key feature to reducing violence as well as promoting public reassurance. We also work closely with our colleagues in the Ministry of Police and Royal Navy Police to prevent and reduce the impact of alcohol related violence. The FIFA World Cup, and especially the timings of Scotland’s three group games required additional resources over and above the normal patrols. Each town had a dedicated team of officers to provide extra resilience during the early hours of the morning to prevent violence and alcohol related disorder whilst providing reassurance to members of the public. We are glad to say that no significant incidents took place, and the world cup passed relatively peacefully. Our Youth Engagement Officers continue to carry out important work with students. In May our YEO in Oban organised a Choices for Life event, where she was assisted by Scottish Violence Reduction Unit, Medics Against Violence, SFRS, Argyll and Bute Woman’s Aid, Oban Youth Café, Live Argyll and RNLI. They provide numerous inputs on other topics such as knife crime. Early engagement and education of our young people is a key priority for us. Crimes of violence occurring within Argyll and Bute have increased slightly by 3.1% from 254 to 262 (+8) year on year while the current figure remains 9.6% above the previous 5-year average (239). Crimes were largely spilt 50/50 in terms of public/private space with just over half (51%) of all public space crimes being committed by persons known to the victim. Much of the increase is attributed to a rise in threats and extortion offences from 3 to 14 crimes, year on year. These related to “sextortion” offences that were all committed via online platforms as opposed to involving physical threats or intimidation. Most other Group 1 crimes of violence have seen marginal change compared to last year. Common assaults remain relatively unchanged with 189 crimes compared to 190 PYTD, while serious assaults have marginally reduced from 12 to 9 crimes. Approx. 53% of common assaults occurred within a private space setting and 47% within a public space. In 55% of public space crimes offenders were known to the victim and 25% of all common assaults were domestic related. The detection rate for crimes of violence overall is at 67%, which is a 12% reduction from the position in 2025/26 (79%). The detection rate for common assaults remains relatively unchanged from last year 70% to 68.8%, while only 3 fewer crimes have been detected in number terms.
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OFFICIAL OFFICIAL Across the recording period the number of ASB related incidents in Argyll and Bute have seen an increase of approx. 11.3% (+68) compared to last year. Group 6 crimes, which include ASB related offences however have decreased by 8.6% with 266 crimes recorded compared to 291 the previous year. The number of searches carried out within A&B has risen by 20.6% from 252 to 304, which is considerably above the 5-year average (206), while the positive rate has reduced slightly from 29% to 22%. ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR Our summer action plans are produced locally and are underpinned through analytical review ensuring that our resources are being directed to the right places. It is vital that community concerns regarding ASB are being reported to us to allow us to build a picture, collate evidence, and set local tasking. This process of review and tasking enables us to focus on those individuals, houses and even vehicles, attributed to ASB within our communities. Our community team have been visible throughout June and July and have been supporting the National Parks at Loch Lomond and the community in Luss and Duck Bay where we recorded a rise in Anti-Social Behaviour calls relating to waterborne behaviour particularly with the anti-social use of Jet Skis. Various multi agency meetings have taken place to discuss the impact on the local community and enabling us to implement a multi- agency response. We have maximised our online presence delivering preventive and water safety messages highlighting the impact that ASB is having this season.
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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 within Argyll and West Dunbartonshire with overall satisfaction levels at 68.1%, albeit this is a notable reduction from the position as at the end of the 2025/26 reporting period (82%) but in line with the position across the West (68.3%). Local News In June there was a multi-agency rural partners day at Strachur Village Hall. There was a fantastic turn out from partner agencies and essential services. We were represented at the Emergency Services Day Tarbert – It was a great day of showcasing how emergency services work and live within local communities. We currently have the Police Scotland recruitment van in Argyll and Bute, and we have dedicated officers speaking with members of the public across our area about career opportunities in policing. It is vital that we continue to focus on our rural recruitment campaign to ensure we remain resilient to meet the needs our community across Argyll & Bute. Total of 144 responses 68.1% Satisfied/Very Satisfied National Key Figures – Local Policing User Experience Survey Results April to June 2026 (Q1 FY2026/2027) National Average (Satisfied or Very Satisfied) L Division (Satisfied or Very Satisfied) Ease of contact 67.5% 68.0% Being provided with appropriate response 62.3% 61.7% Overall satisfaction 68.1% 68.1%