Police Scotland Argyll & Bute Performance Summary Report - Reporting Period: April 2025 - September 2025
Argyll and Bute Council · 11 December 2025
Back to Community Services Committee — 11 December 2025 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 Sep 2025 Total Crime 646 Crimes Incidents 9805 Overall Dishonesty 430 Domestic Abuse Inc 374 +14.3% +2% +4.2% +9.7% +51.8% -42%* Road Deaths & Serious Injuries 22 +5.9%* Sexual Crime 170 -542*PYTD, -1149*5YR AVG +54*PYTD, +121*5YR AVG +9*PYTD, +42*5YR AVG +15*PYTD, +28*5YR AVG +52*PYTD, +142*5YR AVG +58*PYTD, +52*5YR AVG -16*on PYTD +52*PYTD Violent Crime 586 Missing People 86 Counter Terrorism +8*PYTD +10.3%* -11*PYTD, -18*5YR AVG Common Assault 431 -31.4% Housebreaking 24 Disorder Complaints 936 The National Terrorism Threat level is SUBSTANTIAL This means that an attack is likely. *PYTD = Previous Year to Date *5YR = 5-year average +19% -5.2%
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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 2024/25, with available figures being shown from 1st April 2025 through to 30th September 2025. 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.2, acquisitive crimes have seen a slight increase of 2% from 421 to 430 crimes. This has largely been driven by an increase in common thefts throughout Argyll and Bute (+26.3%), while shoplifting (-20) and housebreaking offences (-11) have both seen slight reductions year on year. Public Protection Group 2 sexual crimes have also risen by 51.8% from 112 to 170 crimes. Both rape offences and sexual assaults have seen an increase of 8 and 22 crimes respectively year on year while crimes relating to indecent images/communications have also recorded a considerable increase (+36 crimes). Road Safety & Road Crime We continue to record a positive reduction in the number of casualties involved in road traffic collisions within Argyll and Bute compared to last year. The number of fatal road traffic collisions within Argyll and Bute has reduced marginally from 5 to 3 as at the end of Qtr. 2. Road traffic collisions involving serious injuries have also decreased from 33 to 19 and slight injuries reduced from 53 to 42. Serious Organised Crime At the end of Qtr. 2, drug supply offences have reduced marginally with 14 crimes compared to 16 the previous year, whilst possession charges have shown a notable increase of 17.5% from 206 to 242. Across Argyll & West Dunbartonshire 19 crimes linked to persons associated with serious and organised crime have been recorded and £37,109 has been seized under POCA since 1st April 2025. Violence & ASB At the end of Qtr. 2 Group 1 crimes of violence have increased by 9.7% with 586 crimes compared to 534 the previous year to date, while anti-social behaviour (ASB) related crimes have increased by 21.8% from 504 to 614 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 3381 4027 Total number of incidents 10347 9805 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 increased by 19% from the previous year and is currently above the previous 5-year average (3450). All crime types have experienced a rise in figures compared to the position in 2024/25 as at the end of Qtr. 2. Road traffic offences have seen the highest increase (+254) followed by Group 6 anti-social offences (+110) and Group 5 crimes against society (+103).
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OFFICIAL OFFICIAL ACQUISITIVE CRIME Common thefts have experienced the highest increase in terms of acquisitive crime from 114 to 144 crimes, which is currently above the 5-year average (122). In Argyll various thefts have occurred in/around Oban town centre relating to thefts of used cooking oil, while various thefts of machinery, power tools and construction materials have also been recorded at building sites and boathouses/marinas throughout the local authority. The detection rate for common theft has reduced from 31.6% to 22.9%. Shoplifting crimes have reduced by 11.7% with 68 crimes recorded compared to 77 the previous year. The current figure remains above the previous 5-year average (51) however. The detection rate has increased slightly from 70.6% to 76.4%. Fraud has reduced marginally in Argyll and Bute compared to last year, from 99 to 96 recorded crimes. Most fraud types have seen marginal change compared to the position last year. The detection rate for fraud has increased marginally by 1.7% from 22.2% to 24%. During the reporting period we seen a rise in common thefts from farms and other agricultural places. We continue to look for innovative ways to highlight crime prevention opportunities within this sector. A farm watch started in Helensburgh and Lomond area connecting many of the local farmers who are now able to interact in the same way as a neighbourhood watch scheme. Our preventions team have been visiting our agricultural sites offering advice about securing equipment and handing out specialist DNA marking kits. Through our involvement in the Partners against Rural Crime group (PARC) we attended the agricultural roadshow at Dalmally where we were on hand to discuss concerns and advise. We continue our efforts to target fraud by maximising our online footprint to ensure we are signposting and engaging with our communities. Detecting online fraud can be very challenging usually as a result of the perpetrators residing out with the United Kingdom. Our youth engagement team continue to positively influence the younger generations decision making whilst online. In Oban our PSYV carried out a leaflet drop within the residential areas of the town to raise community awareness around bogus workers and frauds. In partnership with Trading Standards, we were in Oban, Dunoon, Helensburgh with the Shut-Out Scammers Campaign providing information on crime prevention, fraud and scam awareness.
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OFFICIAL OFFICIAL Public protection investigations are often complex, and we rely on close working with our stakeholders to provide the best service to those affected. By working in partnership, taking a multi-agency approach, increasing public confidence and raising public awareness, we are better placed to identify threat, manage risk and prevent harm The facilities and support we have for child victims and witnesses of serious crime across Argyll & Bute have benefitted from a new unique and safe venue named ‘Bairns Hoose’. A transformative space designed to support children as they recover from trauma and harm. It aims to reduce the trauma children face when navigating the child protection and justice systems by bringing all the support they need together under one roof - the Hoose offers a safe, welcoming environment where children can participate in child protection processes and begin their journey of healing. The Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland (DSDAS) launched in 2015 continues to be a vital preventative tool in tackling domestic violence. This scheme allows concerned individuals to determine whether their partner has a history of domestic violence. This year across Argyll & Bute we have received over 85 requests this figure is up 50% from last year. At the end of Qtr. 2, Group 2 crimes have increased by 52% with 170 crimes recorded compared to 112 (+58) in the same period last year. Both rape offences and sexual assaults have increased from 20 to 28 (+8) and 42 to 64 (+22) crimes respectively. Crimes relating to indecent images/communications have also more than doubled from 32 to 68 crimes with approx. 82% being committed via online platforms. Approximately 59% of sexual assaults occurred in a private setting and 80% were committed by persons known to the victim. One third of sexual assaults reported related to non-recent crimes. Similarly, approx. 85% of rape offences occurred within a private space and 93% were committed by persons known to the victim with 12 crimes being domestic related. Domestic abuse incidents have seen an increase of 4.2% compared to last year from 359 to 374, while the number of crimes recorded has also reduced from 368 to 351. The detection rate for domestic abuse crimes has increased from 57.3% to 65.2% year on year. A total of 86 missing person reports had been recorded within Argyll and Bute as at end of Qtr. 2, which is an increase of 10.3% from last year (+8). MP reports relating to adults remain unchanged from the position last year, while reports relating to children and children in care have seen an increase from 26 to 38 (+12) year on year. PUBLIC PROTECTION
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OFFICIAL OFFICIAL At the end of Qtr. 2, the number of fatal RTC’s recorded in Argyll and Bute has seen a marginal reduction from 5 to 3 year on year. RTC’s resulting in both serious and slight injuries have also decreased from 33 to 19 (-14) and 53 to 42 (-11), respectively. Road traffic offences continue to see a considerable increase of 24.2% from 1048 to 1302 (+254). Speeding offences have experienced the highest increase (+132) followed by vehicle defect such as construction and lighting offences (+69) and unlawful use of motor vehicle such as licence, insurance and registration offences (+29). The increase in vehicle offences is largely a testament to proactive policing within Argyll and Bute during the current reporting period. Road Traffic Casualties 2024/25 2025/26 Number of persons killed on our roads 5 3 Number of persons seriously injured 33 19 Number of persons slightly injured 53 42 Number of children seriously injured 0 1 Our traffic detections continue to increase which is testament to the proactive work by our specialist officers and our local policing teams. We continue to target those drivers putting people’s safety at risk as a result of their poor driving standards, decision making or condition of the vehicles being driven on the roads. The circumstances of any fatal road crash are investigated thoroughly by national specialist crash investigation teams. The expertise and understanding of road traffic legislation is shared locally to our local officers to ensure we are upskilling our own officers patrolling our communities. We continue to develop our Road Safety Partnership meetings, which involves stakeholders from the Local Authority, Roads, Transport Scotland and others. We now review all fatal crash scenes to ensure that any contributory factors are assessed and reviewed to reduce the risk of further accidents at the same location. During this reporting period we commenced our Fatal 5 - Young Drivers Campaign. The feedback received from pupils has been very encouraging. We have engaged senior pupils in Rothesay, Dunoon, Helensburgh, Campbeltown, Lochgilphead, Oban, Tobermory & Tarbert. The young driver presentations to S6 pupils consists of a case study involving 4 newly qualified drivers who were racing on a rural road resulting in a double fatality acc. These sessions create open discussions which the generation of young persons who have just reached driving age. These sessions allow us to positively influence decision making and to focus awareness on the fatal 5 campaign which include, driving whilst unfit to do so, speeding, not wearing seat belts and distraction. ROAD SAFETY AND ROAD CRIME
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OFFICIAL OFFICIAL Across Argyll & West Dunbartonshire, 19 crimes linked to persons associated with serious and organised crime have been recorded and £37,109 has been seized under POCA since 1st April 2025. At the end of Qtr. 2, drugs supply charges show a marginal reduction compared to last year from 16 to 14 crimes, which remains below the previous 5-year average (20). Drug possession charges however have seen a 17.5% increase from 206 to 242 and is also considerably above the previous 5-year average (222). We have been engaging with Crimestoppers Scotland to see how we can promote their vital role within our rural communities. It is vital that we continue to encourage and empower our communities to speak up about crime within their villages and towns. Crimestoppers is a unique anonymous service and more than ever our communities need Crimestoppers unique guarantee of anonymity to report concerns. Serious and Organised crime often harms the most vulnerable in our communities, from drug dealing to exploitation via County Lines. It is vital that our we encourage people to report anonymously and help them on what to do; from spotting the key signs of crimes to being an active bystander. An example of where community intelligence can disrupt serious and organised crime can be evidenced in Dunoon during the reporting period where community information was vital in support of our intelligence gathering which secured a search warrant for three premises linked to drug dealing. Three sperate addresses were targeted at the same time for maximum effect utilising specialist public officers. An individual was arrested and charged with the sale and supply of drugs and a large amount of cash seized. This coordinated day of action was high-profile in the community and sent a strong message regarding Police Scotland’s determination to tackle drug dealing. In Oban local officers stopped a vehicle within the reporting period which had been highlighted via community intelligence, following a proactive search on this vehicle 156 grams of Cannabis was seized. SERIOUS & ORGANISED CRIME
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OFFICIAL OFFICIAL VIOLENCE We make full use of our analysts to ensure that all operational officers are briefed daily prior to deployment to furnish them with the intelligence and information required to be able to identify those strongly linked to violence and ASB. It is very difficult to prevent sporadic acts of violence particularly indoors in private dwellings however, we continue to engage with housing partners to identify problematic neighbour complaints to assess and target ASB which may escalate into violence. Our officers use analysis and intelligence to make full use of their stop search powers in targeted areas when it is justified and proportionate to do so. We have robust policing plans in place to monitor individuals arrested and thereafter released with specific bail conditions. The Preventions Team are in daily contact with the ASB and Housing Teams to ensure we maximise our response through a partnership approach. Our Oban YEO organised an event within Tesco to raise awareness for the ‘It’ll cost you campaign’ to tackle underage drinking and youth disorder. A stall was staffed within Tesco for awareness with campaign materials distributed to members of the public. Crimes of violence occurring within Argyll and Bute have increased from 534 to 586 (+52) year on year while the current figure remains 32% above the previous 5-year average (445). Crimes were largely spilt 56% public and 44% 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 14.6% rise in common assaults from 377 to 431 crimes (+54), while the majority of other Group 1 crimes of violence have experienced marginal change compared to the position at the end of Qtr. 2 last year. Approx. 56% of common assaults occurred within a public space setting and 44% within a residential premise. In 60% of public space crimes offenders were known to the victim and just over half of all private space crimes were domestic related. Common assaults on police and emergency workers have continued to see a reduction from 74 to 68 crimes year on year. The detection rate for crimes of violence overall has increased marginally by 1.7% from 68.2% in 2024/25 to 69.9%. This equates to an additional 46 crimes in number terms. The detection rate for common assaults has also risen from 63.4% to 66.7%.
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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. 7.4% (+90) compared to last year. Group 6 crimes, which include ASB related offences have also increased by 21.8% with 614 crimes recorded compared to 504 the previous year. This is largely attributable to a rise in breach the peace/threatening and abusive behaviour from 461 to 542 crimes (+81) and alcohol related offences (+23) year on year. ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR Over the summer months local policing in Cowal and Bute introduced a community policing pilot to enhance Police Scotland’s visibility, engagement, and proactive policing on the Isle of Bute and Cowal. The overarching aim was to reduce crime and the fear of crime through high- visibility patrols and community engagement, thereby increasing public confidence and the police profile locally. This pilot was a success resulting in tangible enforcement outcomes including an increased detection of crime, intelligence gathering and enforcement action, addressing crime in the community head-on. It also provided in contrast, increased community engagement, public reassurance, and prevention opportunities. We are committed to supporting our nighttime economy. Since 1st April our local policing teams have recorded over 500 visits to licenced premises. Our Divisional Licensing Team provides guidance and support to Local Policing in relation to the sale and supply of alcohol within our communities, ensuring licensed premises operate in accordance with liquor licensing legislation and promote responsible trading aligned with the Licensing Objectives. We have a range of options to assist us with any identified issues. These options form a staged but flexible response, from simply engaging with and advising the staff at licensed premises at the lower end of the scale, to grading premises as being ‘Problematic’ and requesting a review of a premise licence by the Licensing Board in relation to more serious matters.
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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 77%, which is above the position as at the end of Qtr. 2 during the 2024/25 reporting period (69%). We have some great engagement work ongoing with young persons across Argyll where our dedicated and passionate officers, often in their own time look for opportunities to break down barriers act as role models and positively influence decision making. Initiatives including golfing, youth clubs, running clubs and youth volunteering. In Oban we have 15 officers who volunteer within the MCR Pathways, a charity which supports care-experienced and disadvantaged young persons in Scotland. These achievements and initiatives highlight our commitment to enhancing public safety, reducing crime, and fostering positive community relationships. Campbeltown’s emergency services day on Saturday, 16 August was a great family-friendly day out to meet the teams who help keep the community safe. Alongside Police Scotland, colleagues from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, the Scottish Ambulance Service and the Royal National Lifeboat Institute– to name a few. Over the summer months we were involved in several large-scale policing operations across Argyll & Bute providing a proportionate and professional response in support of many community events. These included the Tiree Music Festival, The Cowal Games, the Highland games in Luss, Bute, Inveraray and Oban and The Islay Festival of Music. We have received great feedback from local community councils and councillors in relation to the friendly policing style adopted. The recruitment and retention of officers across Argyll & Bute remains a local priority for Area Commanders. We continue to work with our national recruitment teams to ensure local policing needs across Argyll & Bute and being actively progressed. From January 2025 we have had 7 new probationers start with a further 2, due to start in the coming period. 77% Satisfied/Very Satisfied Total of 298 responses