Serious Assaults Down 40% In Aberdeenshire

Serious assaults have taken a dip in Aberdeenshire this summer.

Police Scotland say there was a 40% drop in the number of incidents between April and June this year.

Police Scotland also recorded a 24.5% drop in casualties from road traffic collisions.

Chief Superintendent Thomson said: "I have recently taken over as Divisional Commander where I have joined a team who are committed to keeping Aberdeenshire a safe place to live and work. I am encouraged by this report which shows a further fall in overall crime in the first quarter of this year."

Chief Superintendent Thomson added: "Despite the figures showing a drop in casualties from road traffic collisions, we have still seen five people killed on our roads in recent months. Through our road safety strategy, Operation CEDAR (Challenge, Educate, Detect and Reduce) a local campaign aimed at encouraging drivers to take more responsibility on the roads, Aberdeenshire and Moray Division along with partners continue to work together to highlight this area of concern. Road safety is a key local priority for Police Scotland and we will continue to carry out high visibility patrols throughout Aberdeenshire and in areas we have identified as priority routes.

"The detection rate for serious assaults is over 93 and for robberies is 100% which is encouraging."

Chief Superintendent Thomson continued: "We will continue to focus on the prevention of violent crime with partners as an absolute priority. It is concerning there has been a slight rise in common assaults however Local Area Commanders in Aberdeenshire have already taken steps within their areas to seek to reverse this trend and we have seen a significant drop in serious assaults. These steps include preventative measures, working with partners - particularly within the night time economy - to encourage responsible behaviour as all too often alcohol consumption features as a contributory factor in reported violence and anti-social behaviour across Aberdeenshire. Drinking to excess can put you at risk of becoming involved in crime or being a victim of crime.

"We have seen an increase in the number of sexual offences being reported, which in part is attributable to proactive enquiries. It is encouraging to see increased public confidence to report such criminality in the knowledge that my staff will fully investigate all reports and provide support to victims.

"It is particularly pleasing to see the figures for acquisitive crime falling by over 10% across the region, with housebreakings, car crime and common theft all decreasing. I have recently completed a review in relation to the manner in which we investigate housebreaking and directed some changes which are already positively impacting on the detections of these offences.

"I look forward to working with partners and the communities themselves to continue to keep Aberdeenshire and its residents safe."

• Local News