Analysis: We need evidence to back up these claims

THERE are various ways of classifying both serious and petty crimes, but this does not automatically mean there will always be an under-recording of crime.

Throughout the process of recording crime in Scotland, there are checks and balances to protect against a distorted picture emerging, which is why the Police Federation members making these claims have to provide evidence for what they are saying.

Every police force in Scotland has its own audit procedures to try to examine crime statistics, which is a safeguard against under-recording crimes.

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There may well be crimes that are not correctly coded, but that doesn’t mean crime is being under-recorded.

At the same time, there will always be crime that’s not reported to the police.

Right across Scotland, there has been a trend for the reduction of crime, according to recent figures that were published.

Whenever there’s evidence of a crime, the police have a duty to record it as a crime, even if it doesn’t go any further or go to the procurator-fiscal.

At the same time, there will be situations, for example, where an item has been reported as stolen, but it is not recorded as a theft. This could be because the item was returned to the owner and there was no need to record it as an actual theft.

Given that this issue is being raised by Strathclyde officers, perhaps they are referring to an issue within that force. If that’s the case, then they need to come up with evidence on this during the conference debate on the motion next week.

• Chief Superintendent David O’Connor is president of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents.

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