Police Scotland: Poll reveals how many Scots believe local crime rate has increased

A new poll also found widespread concern over police resources

More than a third of Scots believe the crime rate has increased in their local community, with widespread public concern over the police having sufficient resources.

In a new opinion poll conducted by Survation, 13 per cent of people in Scotland said crime has risen a lot in the past two years and a further 21 per cent said it has gone up a little. Only 11 per cent believe the rate has fallen.

At the same time, most Scots feel police officers in their local area do not have the necessary resources to prevent crime happening in the first place. There was, however, more confidence in the force being able to solve crimes.

Police Scotland officers | PA

SNP Justice Secretary Angela Constance said she was “concerned to hear there is a perceived increase in crime being experienced by some”, but said Scotland “continues to be a safe place to live with reported crime falling by more than half since 1991”.

Opposition parties warned of an “epidemic of serious violence” and called for measures to “restore confidence in our policing and justice system”.

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David Threadgold, chair of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), said: “If the government is genuinely concerned about policing and the electorate’s perception of crime, then it should take heed of this poll.

“When police have the tools and the resources, they have the ability to get the job done. But at present we’re not able to carry out basic police functions like interacting with the public to prevent crime in the first place.

“Operational cops are hamstrung because they are carrying out health functions. Policing has got to become a greater priority for government.”

The Survation poll of 1,003 people in Scotland aged 16 and above was conducted for 1919 Magazine, which is funded by the SPF, between June 9 and 12.

Respondents were asked “how much would you say the crime rate in your local area has changed since two years ago?” A combined total of 34 per cent said a lot more or a little more, 44 per cent said ‘about the same’, and 11 per cent said a lot less or a little less.

The poll also asked people how confident they are about police in their local area having sufficient resources. Nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) said they were not confident there were resources to prevent crime happening in the first place, while 49 per cent said the same for dealing with incidents as they occur.

In terms of solving crimes, there was a more even split – with 43 per cent expressing confidence and 46 per cent stating the opposite.

Asked about the visibility of police officers in their community, only 33 per cent said they were confident there were enough resources to provide for this.

‘Sadly not the case’

Scottish Labour’s justice spokeswoman Pauline McNeill said: “Everyone should be able to feel safe in their local community. However, this poll suggests that for too many people, that is sadly not the case.

Labour MSP Pauline McNeill | Getty Images

“This pinpoints exactly the problem with policing under the SNP. It has allowed basic policing to decline, therefore trust in the police service is being eroded.

“Members of the public must be given the reassurance that when they need help, our police will be there for them. Unfortunately, this SNP Government has failed to back Police Scotland, just as it has allowed public services to decline.

“It is testament to the dedication of officers that, despite the challenges they are facing, there is confidence in the police to solve crimes and investigate incidents after they occur.”

‘Soft-touch justice’

Scottish Conservative community safety spokeswoman Sharon Dowey said the survey “exposes how badly the SNP’s soft-touch justice system is failing Scots”.

She said: “The nationalists have consistently cut police resource, which has left them unable to investigate certain crimes. Law-abiding Scots have clearly lost trust in the SNP’s system, which continually panders to offenders and leaves victims as an afterthought.

“SNP ministers need to urgently show some common sense and start to prioritise frontline policing by delivering the resources required to keep communities safe.”

The policing budget

Ms Constance pointed to a record budget from the Scottish Government for policing.

She told 1919: “Our thoughts remain with anyone affected by crime and I am concerned to hear there is a perceived increase in crime being experienced by some. I want to reassure people that Scotland continues to be a safe place to live with reported crime falling by more than half since 1991.

“This is backed up by the recently published Recorded Crime in Scotland 2024/25, which shows reported crime falling by more than half since 1991 and the flagship Scottish Crime and Justice Survey, which also showed people feel safer in their communities.

“This year we will invest £4.2 billion across the justice system including a record £1.64bn for policing – an increase of £90 million on 2024/25.

“Our continued investment has enabled Police Scotland to take on more recruits in the last financial year than at any time since 2013, with further intakes planned throughout 2025. There were 16,553 police officers as of March 31, 2025.”

It came as new figures showed Police Scotland officers worked almost four-and-a-half million hours of overtime over the past five years.

A Freedom of Information request by the Scottish Tories revealed officers worked 4,490,739 hours of overtime, which is the equivalent of almost 513 years’ worth.

In 2024/25 alone, officers worked 773,151 hours of overtime, which cost over £28 million. This is an increase of 54,131 hours on the previous year and represents 2 per cent of the total available hours.