National crime figures not the whole story

While this may be the case nationally, I do feel it is important to stress that this picture is not reflected across the country.

Since we began the Campaign against Violence in the Strathclyde area following the arrival of Chief Constable Stephen House in 2007, we have had a fairly dramatic impact on violence. Over the course of the campaign, the number of violent incidents has fallen by around a quarter.

At the same time, the detection rate for violent crime in the Strathclyde force area has risen by almost a third.

This does not mean that we have cracked the problem. There is still too much violence and too many people still think that it is acceptable to settle a problem with their fists, a knife or other weapon.

However, the approach that we in Strathclyde have taken is making a difference.

We have increased the number of targeted “stop and searches” in the areas that have traditionally suffered from violence, we have undertaken groundbreaking work on domestic violence and gangs and we have increased the number of officers working in community teams.

We are proud of the work that we are doing to keep people safe and believe that our statistics underline why more and more people are telling us that they are happy with the job that we are doing in our cities, towns and villages.

As we move towards the creation of the new National Force, it is important that we ensure that statistics that are produced not only give a national picture, but also allow people to understand the situation more locally.

Campbell Corrigan

Assistant chief constable Strathclyde Police