Scottish crimes fall for a third year

Reported crime in Scotland fell by 7 per cent in the first six months of this year, according to figures released yesterday.

The figures eclipse last week's statistics for England and Wales, which showed a 5 per cent drop in offences.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, Minister of State at the Scottish Office, said the Government continued to be encouraged that recorded crimes in Scotland had fallen for a third successive year, only 0.5 per cent in 1992, but 8 per cent in 1993 and a further 3 per cent in 1994. "Tackling crime remains very firmly at the top of the Government's agenda," he said.

The minister welcomed the new figures but said further reductions remained a priority. "Our message remains clear - no crime is acceptable."

The figures for the first six months show a total of 248,915 crimes recorded by the police compared with 268,720 last year - down 7 per cent on the same period last year. For the whole of 1994, 527,064 crimes were recorded, compared with 543,013 the previous year.