Almost 2,000 cases lost to police paperwork

A STAGGERING 1,939 criminal cases had to be dropped in Scotland last year because police officers had failed to file paperwork on time.

The investigations were all abandoned before they could reach court after police failed to file their reports on time.

The figure, revealed under the Freedom of Information Act, is up 40 per cent on the previous year and includes 169 alleged assaults, 170 theft investigations, 38 alleged acts of fraud, ten drug- dealing cases and one case involving child pornography.

Labour justice spokesman Lewis Macdonald has blamed the figures on police cuts and job losses. He said: “A 40 per cent increase in cases abandoned 
because of police delays reflects the impact of almost 1,000 staff job losses in the last two years. These cuts have to stop.”

The figure is part of 12,035 cases that were abandoned for various reasons over the past 
12 months before they could reach court.