During Police Scotland’s first year as a single service, housebreakings in Edinburgh skyrocketed by almost 40%, with only 25% of such burglaries having been solved by the authority, new figures show.
The data reveals that an average of 11 properties a day were targeted by robbers in the capital, with the number of break-ins reaching 4,101 in the 12 months leading to April 2014. The figure is more than four times higher than in 2010, when 765 break-ins were registered, and 38.7% higher than the previous year, when 2,956 incidents were reported.
Former police officers described the figures as poor, saying the data proved the police’s lack of focus, Edinburgh News reports. They believe that Edinburgh’s units dealing with housebreaking prevention were “disappointingly slow” in their ability to tackle such issues.
The figures come after Police Scotland’s decision to demobilise its dedicated housebreaking units, which was reinstated in February this year.
Despite the burglary rates, the statistics also proved that Police Scotland is successful in answering and solving rape complaints. Reported rapes increased by 12%, chiefly owing to the police’s successful Operation Yewtree investigation, which convicted several celebrities of sexual crimes. Chief Superintendent Mark Williams commented, however, that at least half of the reported rapes happened years ago, occurring earlier during the victims’ lives or in their childhood. Williams does still expect to see a further increase in rape reports in the coming years, however.
Police’s stop and search activity meanwhile, saw a 40% increase, leading to the frisking of 30,000 suspected individuals (an average of 82 per day). The method delivered a success rate of around 20%, in which drugs, weapons or other illegal items were discovered.