To ask the Scottish Government how Scotland’s recorded crime rate compares with other areas of the United Kingdom. (S6O-04394)

Scotland’s recorded crime statistics cannot be compared to those of the rest of the UK, due to the different counting and classification systems used to produce the data. However, with a 40 per cent fall in recorded crime across Scotland since 2006-07, including a 74 per cent fall in housebreaking and a 68 per cent fall in theft of a motor vehicle, the long-term trend is clear.

Crime surveys can provide some comparisons, with the latest findings suggesting that in Scotland as well as in England and Wales, around one in 10 adults experienced violent and property crimes. That has fallen significantly for both jurisdictions since 2008-09.

I welcome the fact that recorded crime has halved since 1991, but what impact will the £25 million increase in national insurance by the UK Labour Government have on Police Scotland?

As this Government and, indeed, this Parliament have repeatedly made clear, the UK Government’s decision to increase employer national insurance contributions will have a major impact on all sectors, with the hike likely to result in higher costs, job losses and increased prices. The impact will also be felt by our front-line public services, such as Police Scotland, and we estimate that the change could add more than £700 million in costs for public sector staff. The Treasury must fully fund the actual costs for Scotland’s public sector and not just give a much lower-value Barnett share of the spending in England.

Reports say that up to a quarter of crimes go unreported, with more than 215,000 calls to 101 having been discontinued between January and July 2024. Since 2013, more than 140 police stations and 100 police counters have been closed. There are nearly 1,000 fewer police officers than there were in 2020, with the Aberdeen pilot of not investigating all crimes having been extended across Scotland. Given those facts, is the cabinet secretary investigating their impact on recorded crime rates, or are simplistic comparisons to other parts of the UK simply easier?

I have no interest in making simplistic comparisons, but it is important that we focus on the facts. The strength of the Scottish crime and justice survey is that it captures not just recorded crime but the experience of crime. It is testament to the hard work of Police Scotland and, indeed, other parts of the justice system that there has been a significant fall in reports of victimisation from around 20 per cent to around one in 10.