Orkney crime rises by 18 per cent

Orkney has experienced the second-highest rise in crime (by percentage) of any local authority in Scotland, over the past year.

According to figures published today, Wednesday, by the Scottish Government, recorded crimes rose by 18 per cent across the county in 2018/19 compared with 2017/18. This was topped only by Shetland, which saw a 22 per cent rise. The average increase across the whole of Scotland was only one per cent.

Though Orkney has seen a six per cent drop in recorded cases of fire-raising or vandalism, reports have increased within every other category of crime recorded by the data. This includes a 56 per cent increase in sexual crimes and a 15 per cent increase in non-sexual crimes of violence.

Responding to the figures, Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston has called on the Scottish Government to tackle rising crime levels in the Northern Isles.

The Scottish Conservative MSP said: “Folk in the Northern Isles will share my concern that, in the last recorded twelve months, there were 818 crimes across the islands which represents a very large increase. This rise is much higher than that experienced across most of the rest of Scotland.

“I am also very concerned that reported incidents of sexual crime were up more than 50 per cent both Orkney and Shetland. I hope that some of this increase may be due to more victims being prepared to come forward and report incidents, as well as increased confidence in better support being provided locally. But it is still an alarming increase.

“We think of the Northern Isles as communities with relatively low levels of crime and so this should be a wake-up call to Scottish Government ministers of the need to act to ensure that we stay that way.”