Jackie Baillie MSP for Dumbarton Constituency has called on the Scottish Government to drop plans to cut police officer numbers as new figures show that the number of crimes across the country are on the rise.

The figures show that the number of crimes in Scotland rose from 244,504 in 2017/18 to 246,480 in 2018/19.

In West Dunbartonshire, the total number of crimes rose by 13% between 2017/18 and 2018/19 from 4,189 to 4,716 and in Argyll and Bute there was an increase of 5% between from 2,264 to 2,367. Both local authorities saw an increase in violent crimes including homicide, attempted murder and robbery.

Jackie said:

“Scotland is in the grip of a wave of rising crime. In West Dunbartonshire the number of crimes rose by 13 per cent and in Argyll and Bute it increased by 5 per cent.

“Both West Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute have also seen an increase in violent crimes including homicide, attempted murder and robbery.

“The figures are shocking. The justice secretary cannot simply dismiss these statistics.

“It is clear that cutting police numbers would only make reducing these numbers even more difficult. You simply cannot keep communities safe on the cheap. This justice secretary must give police officers the resources they need to fight crime and keep our communities safe.”