Universal Credit linked to rise in robberies, says Police Scotland

Force reveals 880 robberies were carried out in just three months

Universal credit accused of pushing people into poverty (Getty)

Police Scotland has blamed changes in the UK government’s benefit system for a sharp rise in robberies north of the border.

According to a new report by the force, the introduction of universal credit and an increase in the price of illegal drugs may have triggered the 30 per cent increase in robberies over the five-year average.

There were 880 robberies throughout Scotland between April and June this year – a 12 per cent rise on the previous summer.

Police Scotland said that while there was no definitive explanation for the rise in robberies “anecdotal evidence from intelligence suggests that a combination of increased drug prices due to police enforcement, and changes to welfare systems, may have contributed to an increase in crimes of dishonesty and robbery.”

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said the report was “purely based on anecdotal evidence”.

A spokeswoman said: ”We continue to spend £90bn a year on working-age welfare, and 2.4 million households will be up to £630 better off a year as a result of raising the work allowance in universal credit.

“In addition, Scotland has the power to top-up existing benefits, pay discretionary payments and create entirely new benefits altogether.”

Phased in from 2013, universal credit combines six existing benefits, including Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance. The overhaul has proved highly controversial, with many claiming the roll-out has pushed more people into poverty.

The UK government has faced a backlash over the flagship welfare reform, prompting warnings from two former prime ministers that it could usher in problems similar to the poll tax riots under Margaret Thatcher.

Former Tory prime minister Sir John Major has called for a rethink on the benefit overhaul, while the former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown warned it could cause “poll tax-style chaos”.

Earlier this month, doctors warned that universal credit was a "complicated, dysfunction and punitive" system which was making people increasingly anxious and depressed.

Dr Mandy Cheetham from Teesside University, lead author of the research, said: “Claimants were under severe stress as a result of the claims process and some people had been so low they said they had considered suicide.

“The process of claiming and then trying to survive in the system, with the constant threat of sanctions was making people increasingly anxious and depressed, and worsening existing health problems.”