Talking-up Scotland

Today’s Observer, using ‘national police data’, headlined:

‘95% of UK burglaries and robberies not solved, data suggests.  Police ‘doing all they can’ as crimewave fears rise, with motor scooter thefts a concern.’

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jun/17/figures-less-than-5-of-burglaries-and-robberies-in-uk-solved

In March 2018, the Scottish Sun headlined:

‘FLOP FORCE Police Scotland clear-up rates crumble after five years of controversy and cuts to the force, figures reveal.’

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2435299/police-scotland-clear-up-rates-fall-figures/

However, here are the actual figures for Police Scotland:

For housebreaking (burglary) in 2016/17, 22.5% of cases were cleared up. It had been 26.7% in the previous year and 25.7% in 2008/9. So, the headline could be:

‘Police Scotland still more than four times better at clearing up burglaries than English forces!’

For robbery, in 2016/17, 76.2% of cases were cleared up. It had been 78.3% in the previous year but only 46.4% in 2008/9. So, the headline could be:

‘Police Scotland more than fifteen times better at clearing up robberies than English forces!’

https://beta.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2016-17/pages/13/

Given the background of the Scottish media’s regular hatchet jobs on Police Scotland in an attempt to undermine the SNP, it’s worth remembering these other stories:

Remaining Scotsman readers left fatigued and frustrated in wake of another Police Scotland hatchet job

As knife and gun crime rockets across England and Wales and falls in Scotland, Scotland has far more police officers per head of population

Proxy war on SNP: STV News makes fake news on Police Scotland by distorting overtime spend and officer numbers and by ignoring context

Lib Dems, Tories and Labour take turns to help Scotsman, STV and BBC Scotland cast unjustified doubt on successes of Police Scotland, as crime plummets regardless

Police Scotland, world experts on violence reduction, are now to advise The Met after helping the NYPD and Canada Police. Scotland’s media ignore the story in favour of anything negative they can find.

First New York Police and now Canada’s police come to learn from Scotland’s successes in tackling violence

Allo, allo, wot’s goin’ on up there?