OFFENCES such as shoplifting and theft have risen in Scotland for the first time in ten years, sparking fears the recession is leading people to turn to crime.
The Scottish Government's official statistics reveal, amid a general drop in crime – to its lowest reported level since 1980 – shoplifting offences soared by 10 per cent to 32,048 in the year to April 2009.
At the same time, police reported
increases in similar "dishonesty crimes", including a 9 per cent rise in thefts from locations such as garages and sheds, while cases of burglary rose for the first time in a decade.
The rise sparked concerns that increasing unemployment and economic hardship was pushing Scots into criminality.
Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill said: "Although it is too early to say, the increase in crimes of dishonesty could be partly related to the current difficult economic climate."
Conservative justice spokesman Bill Aitken said the increase in dishonesty crimes showed the impact of the recession, while Richard Brown of the Liberal Democrats said that "in desperate times, people will turn to desperate measures". Dr Kenneth Scott, director of the centre for criminal justice and police studies at West of Scotland University, said attributing the rise in dishonesty crimes to the recession was a "fair assumption".
He continued: "We never know why people commit crime, but there is quite often an increase in those crimes of dishonesty during periods of recession. I think it has been expected. There has certainly been a lot of discussion about the fact we can expect that to happen."
Reporting a 25 per cent increase in shoplifting – the highest in Scotland – Lothian and Borders Police said that the recession had contributed to the rise, but added: "While the current economic climate may provide the force with new policing challenges in relation to such crimes, a wide range of factors must be considered when analysing the motives for these crimes."
But the impact of the recession was played down by other police forces. Strathclyde Police said its reported 8 per cent rise in shoplifting was "unlikely" to have been a direct result of the recession, while the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland said that, although it was disappointed with the rise, there was no direct evidence that the recession had caused it.
Overall, the Scottish Government's statistics show that crime dropped by 2 per cent in Scotland last year.
Violent crime was reduced by 2 per cent, including a 13 per cent dip in the murder rate.
Sexual crimes dropped 3 per cent, with recorded cases of rape and attempted rape falling by 9 per cent.
The reported clear-up rate was 49 per cent, the highest for more than 20 years.
