Should We Just Trust the Police?
Police Scotland Statistics – Fact or Fiction?
Police Scotland claim approximate clear up rate for homicide and yet far poorer performance for serious assault.
When the victim lives and can possibly identify the perpetrator we have less convictions? What are the chances that when soemone dies and cannot speak for themself their death can be conveniently moved to another category such as suicide?
The national Register for deaths in Scotland frezzes it records and does not change these after being frozen. So wrongly assigned deaths will not be recorded against police but they will get credit later if someone is convicted.
Hospital statistics on people who have been assaulted differ significantly from those published by police, it has emerged.
Figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives have revealed while Police Scotland said there were around 3,000 serious assaults last year, hospitals treated nearly 8,700. Why do hospitals not see the same reduction reported as police?
Within this report it states NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde treated by far the most assault cases (5,392), followed by Fife (1,396) and Lothian (606).
http://www.scottishconservatives.com/2013/10/hospital-assault-stats-reveal-true-extent-violence/
Massive disparity between Fife Police assault statistics and Conservative statistics
Fife Police Chief Superintendent Garry MacEwan interview with Dunfermline Press from Novemeber 2013, Article says serious assaults fall by 20%. If this is year on year, this means that Fife Police would have been down to a recorded serious assault level of about 166 cases extrapolated from the 208 recorded in the scotland gov statistics for 2011/12. The figure released by Conservative freedom of information shows Fife NHS recorded 1396 assaults treated.
Contrast this with Lothian and Borders where the statistics say they had 651 serious assaults in 2011/12 and the NHS figures show 606 for 2013. If there is a drop in assault in Lothian then these figures are very close.
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0039/00396025.pdf
Links to other Police stories highlighting the need to ensure Scrutiny of Police statistics
The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey can also provide an estimate of the proportion of crimes not reported to the police. In 2010-11, it was estimated that 39% of crimes, as defined by the SCJS, were reported to the police. This does not include those reported and no action taken.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-25354804 – Gwent Crime Figures could be higher than recorded
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25022680 – Crime Statistics are manipulated says Police Chief
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-18982908 – Former Senior detective jailed for with holding evidence
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-
About the author
Margaret and Stuart Graham are the mother and step father of Colin Marr. This site is an attempt to develop a community to allow victims of our Justice sytem to work together rather than be isolated voices.