Report Summary
This report provides members of the Policing Performance Committee with an update on the latest findings from the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey, covering the 2023-24 financial year. This update focuses on the latest estimates of crimes experienced in Scotland as well as results from questions relating to confidence in policing and feelings of safety.
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Meeting
The publication discussed was referenced in the meeting below
Policing Performance Committee - 16 September 2025
Date : 16 September 2025
Location : online
PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF CRIME AND SAFETY
A quarter of adults (25%) in 2023-24 said that the crime rate in their local area has increased over the last two years. This has increased since 2021-22 (20%) but is similar to the pre-covid position in 2019-20.
Around half of adults (48%) believed that crime had increased in Scotland overall in the last two years.
The majority of adults in Scotland said they felt very or fairly safe walking alone in their local area after dark (75%) and when in their home alone at night (95%). Both these measures of feelings of safety have increased from their 2008-09 baseline position.
There continues to be variations in feelings of safety between demographic and geographic groups. For example, females and those living in the most deprived areas of Scotland were less likely to feel safe than males and those living in the rest of Scotland, respectively.
